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■■■■I 

3  1833  03341  9513 


Gc    977.201     P98we 

Weik,    Jesse   William,     1857- 

1  930. 
Weik's   history    of    Putnam 

Cotintv.     Indiana 


WEIK'S  HISTORY 


OF 


PUTNAM  COUNTY 

INDIANA 


By  JESSE  W.  WEIK,  A.M. 

Author  of  "  Life  of  Lincoln,"  Etc. 


ILLUSTRATED 


1910: 

B.  F.  BOWEN  &  COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS 
LXDLWAPOLIS,  INDL-^NA 


Mien  County  Public  Library 
900  Webster  Street 


1474541 


PREFACE. 

All  life  and  achievement  is  evolution;  present  wisdom  comes  from  past 
experience,  and  present  commercial  prosperity  has  come  only  from  past  ex- 
ertion and  sacrifice.  The  deeds  and  motives  of  the  men  that  have  gone  be- 
fore have  been  instrumental  in  shaping  the  destinies  of  later  communities 
and  states.  The  development  of  a  new  country  was  at  once  a  task  and  a  privi- 
lege. It  required  great  courage,  sacrifice  and  privation.  Compare  the  present 
conditions  of  the  residents  of  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  with  what  they  were 
one  hundred  years  ago.  From  a  trackless  wilderness  and  virgin  prairie  it 
has  come  to  be  a  center  of  prosperity  and  civilization,  with  millions  of  wealth, 
systems  of  intersecting  railways,  grand  educational  institutions,  numerous  in- 
dustries and  immense  agricultural  productions.  Can  any  thinking  person  be 
insensible  to  the  fascination  of  the  study  which  discloses  the  incentives,  hopes, 
aspirations  and  efforts  of  the  early  pioneers  who  so  firmly  laid  the  foundation 
upon  which  has  been  reared  the  magnificent  prosperity  of  later  days.  To 
perpetuate  the  story  of  these  people  and  to  trace  and  record  the  social,  political 
and  industrial  progress  of  the  community  from  its  first  inception  is  the  func- 
tion of  the  local  historian.  A  sincere  purpose  to  preserve  facts  and  personal 
memoirs  that  are  deserving  of  perpetuation,  and  which  unite  the  present  to 
the  past,  is  the  motive  for  the  present  publication.  The  historical  chapters, 
from  the  able  pen  of  Jesse  W.  Weik,  compose  a  valuable  collection  and  will 
prove  not  only  of  interest  to  the  present  generation,  but  of  inestimable  worth 
to  future  historians,  being  the  result  of  patient  toil  and  earnest  research.  In 
this  labor.  Mr.  Weik  has  conscientiously  endeavored  to  make  his  work  au- 
thentic, and  this  fact,  together  with  his  recognized  literary  ability,  gives  a 
definite  value  to  the  history. 

In  placing  this  History  of  Putnam  County  before  the  citizens,  the  pub- 
lishers can  conscientiously  claim  that  they  have  carried  out  the  plan  as  outlined 
in  the  prospectus.  Every  biographical  sketch  in  the  work  has  been  submitted 
to  the  party  interested,  for  correction,  and  therefore  any  error  of  fact,  if  there 
be  any,  is  solely  due  to  the  person  for  whom  the  sketch  was  prepared.  We  ex- 
press gratitude  to  those  who  gave  this  work  their  support  and  encouragement, 
and  trust  that  our  efforts  to  please  will  fully  meet  with  their  approbation. 

Respectfully, 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


V- 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I— BEGINNING  OF  INDIANA  HISTORY  AND   FORMATION  OF  PUT- 
NAM COUNTY    17 

Treaty  of  Greenville — Encrc)achments  of  the  White  Man — Treaty  of  Fort 
Wayne— Treaty  of  St.  Mary's— Early  County  Lines — Legislative  Enactments — 
Re-Arrangement  of  Boundary'  Lines — Location  of  County  Seat — Early  Sur- 
veys and  First  Land  Entries — Topography  of  Putnam  County — Professor 
Collett's  Description — Mineral  Peculiarities. 


CHAPTER  II— ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  COUNTY. 


Original  Townships — Present  CiviJ  Townships — First  Settlements — County- 
seat  Commissioners — Ephraim  Dukes — Sale  of  Town  Lots — Early  Merchants- 
William  H.  Thornburgh— Little  Use  lor  Currency — Early-day  Values— Com- 
mercial Customs— Facts  of  Interest — Early  Events — The  First  Gun— Taverns 
and  Public  Houses. 

CHAPTER  III— COURTS,  COURT  HOUSES  AND  THE  BAR 52 

County  Machinery  Set  in  Motion — The  First  Court — Early  Court  Kecords— 
Characters  of  Early  Offenses — Judges  of  the  -Putnam  Courts — Lawyer?  of 
Putnam  County  Bar — County  Clerks — County  Auditors — Sheriffs — County 
Treasurers — Recorders — Surveyors — County  Commissioners — The  First  Court 
House — Erection  of  a  Jail — First  Poor  Farm — A  New  Court  House  Needed — 
The  Present  Court  House. 


CHAPTER  IV— EARLY  SETTLERS  AND  INCIDENTS. 


An  Interesting  Reminiscence — Thomas  Jackson — The  Spirit  of  the  Pioneers — 
Claim  Clubs — Social  Conditions — A  Valuable  Reminiscence — A  Charivari — The 
First  Oyster  Supper. 

CHAPTER  V— EDUCATION  IN  PUTNAM  COUNTY Si 

Early  Attention  to  Schools— County  Seminary — First  School  Board— Troubles 
of  a  School  Director— Early  Statistics— Schools  Keep  Pace  with  the  Times 
— School  Statistics— Early  High  Schools  and  Academies— Asbury  (now  De- 
Pauw)  University — Laying  the  Corner  Stone — Presidents  of  the  University — 
Departments — Benefactions  of  W.  C.  DePauw — Alumnae  Statistics — Board  of 
Trustees — The  Faculty — Officers  of  the  Faculty. 

CHAPTER  VI— CHURCH  HISTORY— RELIGIOUS  SOCIETIES 106 

Reuben  Clearwaters,  the  F'irst  Preacher  in  Putnam  County — Organization  of 
Baptist  Church— The  Presbyterian  Church— Methodism  in  Putnam  County- 
Early  Presbyterian  Efforts— The  Christian  Church — Baptist  Organization — 
Catholic  Church  of  St.  Paul  the  Apostle— Other  Churches— The  First  Sunday 
School — Myra  Jewett. 


lO  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII— FRATERNAL  SOCIETIES  AND  CLUjaS 123 

Free  and  Accepted  Masons — Royal  Arch  Maajons — Knights  Templar — Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows — Knights  of  Pythias — Modern  Woodmen  of 
America — Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles — Order  of  Ben  Hur — Benevolent  and  Pro- 
tective Order  of  Elks — Literary  and  Social  Organizations — Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  ' 

CHAPTER  VIII— BANKS  AND  BANKING 131 

Captain  Thornburgh's  Safe  a  Popular  Depository  in  the  Early  Days — The  Ex- 
change Bank— Farmers  Bank — The  Putnaffi  County  Bank — First  National 
Bank — Central  National  Bank — Central  Trust  Company — Bainbridge  Bank — 
Other  Banks  in  the  County. 

CHAPTER  IX— JOURNALISM  IN  PUTNAM  COUNTY 133 

The  Hoosier.  later  The  Plow  Boy — The  Temperance  Advocate,  the  First  Tem- 
perance Paper  Published  in  the  WesV — The  Visitor — Indiana  Patriot — Weekly 
Herald— Putnam  County  C/IroJ^it7-— Interesting  Contents  of  Early  News- 
papers  Early   Mails — The  Argus — Putnam   County  Sentinel — Putnam   County 

Republican  Banner— The  Star-Press— The  Democrat. 

CHAPTER  X— INCIDENTS  OF  EARLY  HISTORY   ■ 139 

The  Tide  of  Emigration — The  Story  of  an  Old  Settler— Catching  a  Penitent 
Thief- Gander  Pulling— Clearing  Land— Story  of  a  Maryland  Traveler— The 
Origin  of  Blue  Grass— Early  Importation  of  Cattle — Early  Agricultural  Fairs- 
Putnam  County  Agricultural  Society— Value  of  Lands  and  Crops. 

CHAPTER  XI— THE  TOWNSHIPS  OF  PUTNAM  COUNTY 151 

Jackson  Township— Maysville— Franklin  Township — Carpentersville— Fin- 
castle— Roachdale — Russell  Township — Russellville — Clinton  Township — 
Portland  Mills— Morton— Clinton  Falls— Monroe  Township— Bainbridge — 
Floyd  Township — Groveland — Marion  Township — Fillmore— Greencastle  Town- 
ship—Greencastle—Limedale— Madison  Township— Brunerstown-Oakalla- 
Washington  Township — Manhattan — Pleasant  Garden — Reelsville — Warren 
Township— Putnamville — Cloverdale  Township— Cloverdale— Jefferson  Town- 
ship—Mount Meridian— Belle  Union— Mill  Creek  Township— Lists  of  all  Post- 
masters Who  Have  Served  in  Putnam  County. 

CHAPTER  XII— PUTNAM'S  MILITARY  RECORD 194 

The  Putnam  Blues— Putnam  Yellow  Jackets— Putnam  County  Soldiers  in  the 
Mexican  War- the  Slavery  Question— Decision  of  the  Court— The  Under- 
ground Railroad— Early  Colored  People  in  the  County— The  Civil  War- 
Strong  Union  Sentiment— First  Putnam  County  Soldiers  in  Service— Care  for 
Soldiers'  Families— Enlistments  from  Putnam  County— Relief  Measures— Op- 
position to  the  War— Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle— Relief  Statistics— Sol- 
diers' Monument— Spanish-American  War— Graves  of  Revolutionary  Soldiers— 
An  Interesting  Paper. 


CONTEXTS. 


II 

CHAPTER  XIIX-NOTED  MURDER  TRIALS    ,,^ 

First  Murder  and  First  Suicide-Fatal  Quarrel  Rises  from  Trifling  Incident- 


Murder  of  Abraham  Rhinearson-William  Thompson's  Confession-The  First 
Execution-The  Atrocious  Mullinix  Murder-Trial  and  Execution  of  the 
Murderer— Murder  of  Tilghman  H.  Hanna  and  Wife— A  Noted  Trial. 

CHAPTER  XIV— CITY  OP  GREENCASTLE 


233 

Incorporation  and  First  OfEcers-From  Town  to  City-Coming  of  the  Rail 
roads-Increase  of  Trad<^-First  Telegraph  Line-An  Enterprising  Spirit- 
Commercial  Activity-Street  Railway  Constructed-Greencastle  Iron  and 
Na.I  Company-Distinguished  CiUzens-Casualties-Memorable  Tornado  of 
lS6i — Disastrous  Fire  of  1S74. 


INDEX. 


A 

Ader,  David    477 

Ader,  Xathan  W 527 

Akers,    Henry    S 461 

Akers,   Mrs.  Virginia  C 460 

Allee,   Francis   M 579 

Allee,  Herbert  S 388 

Allee,  John   580 

Allee,  William   H 496 

Allen,  Arch   519 

Allen    Brothers    612 

Allen.  Edward   759 

Allen,  Hiram  C 613 

Allen,  James  L 612 

Allen,   Joseph    P 613 

Ames,   George  W 754 

Anderson.   Dorsey  Leakin 672 

Arnold,   Charles   J 663 

Athey,  Lawrence  H 647 

Ayler,  Amos  Evans   312 

B 

Badger.    Oliver    P 755 

Bainbridge   Bank    499' 

Barnaby,  Charles  Howard 277 

Barnaby,   Howard    27S 

Baumunk,  .John  A 356 

Bence,   George   Worth 256 

Bence,   John   A 320 

Besser,  Bates   503 

Besser,  William   Tell 503 

Bioknell,  Henry   423 

Bittles.    Raser    288 

Black,  George  William 573 

Blaydes.   John   W 748 

Blaydes,   Shelby  H 701 

Boswell,  Jacob   407 

Boswell.  William  406 

Bowman,  John  M 314 

Branham.    William    G 319 

Branneman.  John   678 

Bridges,  Charles  B 684 

Bridges,    Charles   Boles 723 

Bridges,  John  L 685 

Bridges.  Moses  Dillon  655 

Broadstreet,  Quinton   259 

Brookshire,   Drake    464 

Brookshire,  Thomas  D 464 


Brown,   Samuel   Preston 720 

Brown,   Thompson    635 

Brown,   Williamson    721 

Browning,  John   C 416 

Brumfield,  Frank   M    750 

Brumiield,    James    B 747 

Bryan,    Alexander    S 645 

Buis,    James    G 523 

Burkett,  Benton  C 680 

Burris,  John  Breckenridge 688 

turris,   William   S 336 

G 

Cammack,   James    506 

Cammack,    James    0 506 

Cannon,  John   F 456 

Carver,    Benjamin   D 656 

Carver,  James  W 656 

Chandler,  John  Scady 368 

Chandler,   Scady    368 

Cline,    Evan    334 

Cotfman,  David    442 

Coffman,    George    B 441 

Cohn.  Abe   433 

Cole,   James   Washington 607 

CoUings,   John    H 434 

CoUiver,    Richard    Thomson 405 

Conn,   Wellman    D 409 

Cook.   John    422 

Cooper,    Archibald    399 

Cooper,    Henry    C 714 

Cooper,   Marion   Edgar 398 

Corwin,  Benjamin  F 275 

Craft.   Daniel    653 

Cromwell,  Joseph  Willard 302 

Cross,   Joseph    B '. 455 

Croxton,  James  W 632 

Cully,  John  Francis  450 

D 

Darnall,    Henry    Clay    346 

Darnall,   Samuel    444 

DeMotte,  John  Brew^er 782 

Denman,   William   L 272 

Dills,   William    553 

Donehew,  Abel  Benton 734 

Dowling.    John    Sibley 603 

Duncan,  Estes    466 

Duncan,  Lloyd   T 467 


14 


E 

Ellis,  Oscar  Wesley 432 

Evans,  Ezra  B 280 

Evans,  Hesekiah   694 

Evans,    James    695 

Evans,   Samuel  Parker 281 

Evans,  Simpson  Fletcher 703 

Evens,    Arthur   L 271 

F 

Farmer,  Alcany   586 

Farmer,    James    H 515 

Farmer,  Thomas   Benton 514 

Farrow,   Alexander   Shore 247 

Fee,  James  Francis 620 

Flint.  Alfred  E 381 

Florer,   William   Jefferson 682 

Fordice,  James  C 731 

G 

Gardner,  John  W.,  Jr 736 

Gill,    Willis    E 627 

Gillespie,    Thomas    263 

Gough,  Willard    729 

Graham,   Aaron    A 732 

Guilliams,   Fred   L : 715 

H 

Hamilton.  James  L 480 

Hamilton,  John   H 430 

Hanks,    Alvin    B 557 

Hanks,   John   W 543 

Hanna-,   Andrew   B 505 

Hanna,    George    W 640 

Hansen,   Jonathan    376 

Hazelett,  Richard   M 599 

Hazelett,  Samuel  A 397 

Heine,  Mrs.  Mary   713 

Hibbitt.    Edward    R 578 

Hillis,    Abram    589 

Hillis,    Henry   Harrison 644 

Hillis,   ,John  L 589 

Hirt,   Alfred   413 

Hodge,    George    W 306 

Hodge,  William  Woodson    306 

Horn,  Jesse  Thomas  525 

Hostetter,   David   B 752 

Houck,    Oavid    509 

Houck.   James   Edgar    675 

Houck,    Jonathan    509 

Houck,    Jonathan    387 

Houck,   Oliver   Nelson    380 

Houck,    William   Milf ord 448 


Hubbard,    Jesse    Lee 352 

Hubbard,   Perry   L 608 

Hubbard,   William    353 

Huffman,    Douglas    300 

Huffman,    Edmond 301 

Huffman,  Edmund    337 

Huffman,   Greeley   Richard 651 

Huffman,   Ivan    548 

Huffman,    Jack    337 

Huffman,  Jacob,  Jr 551 

Huffman,   Jacob,    Sr 553 

Huffman,   John    540 

Huffman,   John   Andrew 520 

Hughes.    George    W 529 

Hughes,   James    P 528 

Hurst,  Clement  C 322 

Hurst,    Everett    M 290 

Hurst,  Martin   C 460 

Hurst,  William    291 

Hutcheson,  Philip   513 

Hutcheson,    Walter    R 512 

I 

Irwin,   Smiley    639 

Irwin,    Winfield    Scott 638 

J 

Jent,   Aaron    537 

Jones,   Jesse   M 550 

Jones,   Oscar   L 474 

K 

King,   Charles   W 571 

Knauer,  Israel   521 

Knoll.    David    451 

Knoll,    John    452 

L 

Lammers,  Frank  Henry 756 

Lane,  Alec  A 624 

Lane,  Higgins   418 

Lane.  Oscar  F 393 

Landes,  Charles  W 296 

Landes,  Christian   574 

Layne,    Theodore    McG 642 

Leatherman.  Frederick   567 

Leatherman.   John    568 

Lewis,  Henry  Clay 760 

Lewis,   Israel   Gregg 309 

Lewis,  William  Yates 308 

Lewman,   Joseph   A 458 

Lockridge,    Albert   C 719 

Lockridge,   Albert   O >. 780 


IS 


Lockridge,    Alexander    H 261 

Lockridge.  Andrew  M T6S 

Lockridge.    Simpson   Farrow 254 

Lueteke.    Charles    28-1 

Lynch,  Edmund  Burk   605 

Lyon.    Francis    Marion 2S2 

lie 

McCoy,  Jesse  Ernest   591 

McGan,   Thomas   J 71S 

McGaughey,    Arthur    0 7i)7 

McGaughey,  Charles  0 710 

McGaughey,   Edward   W 706 

McGaughey,  Edward  W.,  Jr 713 

McGaughey.    Frank    744 

McGaughey,    Thomas    C 714 

McGaughey,   Walter  \V 601 

McHaffie,  Andrew   4S3 

McHafBe,   Melville   F 4S4 

McKeehan,  Thomas   J 536 

M 

Martin,  Benjamin   426 

Martin,  Henry  Bascom 776 

Martin,   Russell   E 426 

Masten,    Fred     584 

Masten,   Matthias    424 

Masten,    Reuben     584 

Matson,    Courtland    Gushing 250 

Maze.    David    Robert 298 

Meek,    John    H 666 

Michael.  John  Samuel   354 

Miller.    Jasper    N 304 

Modlin,  William  B 702 

Moffett,    Charles    M 500 

Moffett,   Daniel   V 544 

Moffett,    F.   P 500 

Moler,  Joseph  326 

Moler.   Levi    Shelby 421 

Moreland.   Ira    693 

Morris,    Albert   F 576 

Morris,  Thomas  Hart  576 

Moser,   David    383 

Moser,    William    A 366 

X 

Nelson.    Franklin   P 741 

Nelson,    James    B 740 

New,    Y.    N 700 

Xewgent,    Edward    384 

Xewgent,    Edward.    Sr 385 

Xewgent,   John   S 367 

Newgenr.   Lewis    375 


Newgent,  Thomas   511 

Newgent,   William   Wallace 739 

Nichols,    John    Henry    541 

O 

O'Brien.  James  F 400 

O'Brien,    John    400 

O'Daniel,    John   W 344 

O'Hair,    Bascom    762 

Osborn.  John  Willson 439 

Overstreet,   Orsa    Fred 619 

Overstreet,   Willis   G 618 

Owen,   A.   J 351 

Owsley,  James  M 689 

Ozment,    Ruf us    E 745 

P 

Parker,   Benjamin   A 371 

Parker.    Hugh    H 370 

I*arker,   William   H 371 

Peck,  Charles  T 411 

Pickens,    Warren    332 

Pickett,   Charles   Milton 355 

Pickett,  David    365 

Plummer,  James  H 625 

Plummer,   Jacob  Callendar 664 

Poynter,  Jesse  A 621 

Poynter,  Samuel   622 

Prichard,  Walter  K 629 

Proctor,  Enoch  J.  1 54g 

Q 

Quinn,   James   Edward 404 

R 

Raines.    Cornelius   G 634 

Raines,  George  Ennis   633 

Rand,  Mrs.   Sarah  M 712 

Randel.  Mrs.  Catherine  567 

Randel,  James  Lafayette 264 

Reddish,   Otto  L 733 

Reed,  David  E.  P 728 

Reeds,   James   M ■. 500 

Reeves,   George   Taylor    35g 

Reeves,   Oscar   Lee 742 

Reeves.   Stacey  L 353 

Rightsell,   George    648 

Rightsell.    James    A 373 

Rightsell,    Samuel    64S 

Rissler   Family    343 

Rissler,  Moses  B 349 

Rissler,    Morton    L 35Q 

Rissler.    William    343 


i6 


Robe,    John    W '^-S 

Rockwell,   Andrew   J a9 ' 

Rockwell,   Charles   A 597 

Rogers   Family    614 

Rogers.   Jacob   C 560 

Rogers,  James   Harvey 614 

Rogers,   Joseph   Lee 615 

Rogers,   Melvin    61.d 

Rogers,   William,   Jr 593 

S 

Scott,   James   William 592 

Seckman,  Lorenzo  D 362 

Seller,    John    F 340 

Seller,   Luna  W 340 

Sellers,    John   Crawford -i'^ 

Sellers,  John   L ■* '  2 

Shake,    Clarence    Arthur -t-t7 

Shaw,   Oliver   J 392 

Shoemaker,  Daniel  Evans 517 

Shonkwiler,    Daniel    330 

Shonkwiler,   John    F 330 

Sinclair,    Gilbert •.  •   531 

Sinclair,    Isaac    P 293 

Sinclair,   Isaac   S 292 

Skelton,   David  D 630 

Skelton.    David    J 324 

Skelton,  William    324 

Smith.  Harry  M 29o 

Smith,  Oliver  Hampton   389 

Smythe,  Ebenezer  Watson 310 

Smvthe,  Gonsalvo  Cordova   ' '  ■^ 

Sparks,   James   H '^'^ 

Starr,    George    W ''"'^^ 

Stevenson,    Alexander    Campbell 696 

Stewart.    Aaron    B 690 

Stoner,   Lycurgus    -^^^ 

Stoner,   Peter    '^'^ 

Stoner,  Peter   Simpson   582 

Stoner.    William    Payne ^'-^^ 

Stroube,   Frank   M 1*1 

Stroube.   John   W ^^•■' 

Stroube,   Oliver    ^^*^ 

Sutherlin.  W.   M • *'^ 

T 

Taylor,    George    W ■^I^'^ 

Taylor.  Mary  J ■*"•' 

Taylor,    Minnetta    ■*"* 


Thomas.    Elzeaphus    342 

Thomas,  Joseph  A 342 

Thomas,  Oscar   494 

Thomas,    William     66S 

Thornburgh,   William   H 38 

Tilden,  Francis  Calvin 268 

Torr,    James    H 566 

Torr,    Joseph    D 670 

Torr,  William  L 533 

Troxell,  Andrew  Marshall 459 

Trusedel,    James   M 676 

Tustison.    Orville    M 508 

V 

Vanlandingham,    James    501 

Vermilion,    Isaiah   535 

Vermilion.   James    Everett    564 

Vermillion.   Isaiah    287 

Vestal.    Samuel    267 

Vestal,   William  B 266 

W 

Walker.  John   Mills 390 

Wallace,    David    361 

Wallace.    Elijah    469 

Wallace.   John  W 469 

Walls,   Benjamin  F 687 

Walls,    Edward   McG 410 

Wain,  Elijah  Cooper 538 

Weik.   Louis    704 

West,  Joseph    691 

Williamson,    Delano    E 764 

Williamson,   John   M 659 

Williamson,   William   H 659 

Wilson,  John 359 

Wimmer,   William   P 462 

Wood,   Xelson  Franklin    556 

Wood,   William    554 

Wright,   Amos    616 

Wright,   Ezekiel    616 

Wright,    Perry    Wilson 570 

Y 
Young.    Madison    "22 

Z 

Zaring,    Daniel    771 

Zaring.  Lewis  A 751 


HISTORICAL 


CHAPTER  I. 

BEGIXXING  OF  INDIANA  HISTORY  AND   FORMATION   OF   PUTNAM    COUNTY. 

The  treaty  of  Greenville,  which  was  intended  to  "'put  an  end  to  a 
destructive  war,  settle  all  controversies  and  to  restore  harmony  and  friendly 
intercourse  between  the  United  States  and  Indian  tribes,"  may,  strictly  speak- 
ing, be  considered  the  beginning  of  Indiana  history.  It  was  e.xecuted  at 
Greenville.  Ohio,  August  3,  1795,  the  contracting  parties  being  Gen.  Anthony 
Wayne  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  and  ninety  "sachems  and  war  chiefs" 
representing  the  Wyandot,  Delaware,  Shawnee,  Ottawa,  Chippewa,  Potta- 
watomie, Miami,  Eel  River,  Wea,  Kickapoo,  Piankeshaw  and  Kaskaskia 
tribes  of  Indians.  By  virtue  of  this  primitive  and  solemn  compact  the 
United  States  relinquished  to  the  Indians  all  title  to  the  lands  now  included 
within  the  limits  of  the  state  of  Indiana  with  the  following  exceptions : 

"First — The  tract  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres  near  the 
rapids  of  the  Ohio  which  has  been  assigned  to  General  Clark  for  the  use 
of  himself  and  his  warriors.  Second — The  post  of  Vincennes  on  the  river 
Wabash  and  the  lands  adjacent  of  which  the  Indian  title  has  been  e.xtin- 
guished.  Third — One  piece  six  miles  square  at  or  near  the  confluence  of 
the  rivers  St.  Mary  and  St.  Joseph  where  Fort  Wayne  stands  or  near  it. 
Fourth — One  piece  two  miles  square  on  the  Wabash  river  at  the  end  of  the 
portage  from  the  Miami  of  the  lake  and  about  eight  miles  westward  from 
Fort  Wayne.  Fifth^One  piece  si.x  miles  square  at  the  Ouiatenon  or  old 
Wea  towns  on  the  Wabash  river." 

It  may  not  be  without  interest  to  note  that  the  consideration  or  induce- 
ment offered  the  Indians  to  sign  the  treaty  was  an  agreement  on  the  part 
of  the  United  States  to  make  "every  year  forever"'  to  each  of  the  first  seven 
named  tribes  a  payment,  "in  useful  goods  suited  to  the  circumstances  of  the 
Indians."  of  the  value  of  one  thousand  dollars  and  half  that  sum  to  each  of 
the  remaining  five. 

But  notwithstanding  the  solemn  covenants,  the  rosy  promises  and  the 
liberal  allotment  of  useful  goods  "every  year  forever."  set  forth  in  this 
(2) 


X8  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

Stately  worded  compact,  it  was  not  foreordained  that  the  rich  and  promising 
lands  included  within  the  boundaries  of  the  Indiana  Territory  should  long 
remain  the  undisturbed  possession  of  the  red  man.  The  appetite  of  his 
white  brother  for  more  territory  was  not  to  be  so  easily  appeased.  In  1801 
William  Henry  Harrison  became  the  governor  of  Indiana  and,  being  invested 
by  the  government  at  Washington  with  the  power  to  negotiate  treaties  with 
the  Indians,  entered  on  a  policy  which  clearly  foreshadowed  the  early  e.x- 
tension  of  the  white  man's  dominion  in  eveiy  direction.  The  new  governor 
was  a  man  of  wide  resources;  able  and  adroit,  his  methods  in  dealing  with 
the  Indians  being  both  pacific  and  hannonious,  he  was  eminently  successful 
in  every  undertaking.  Gradually  the  red  man  was  induced  to  part  with  his 
holdings.  Within  three  years  Harrison  had  concluded  eight  treaties  by 
means  of  which  the  white  man  came  into  possession  of  almost  fifty  thousand 
square  miles  of  new  territory.  Before  the  close  of  the  year  1805  the  Indians 
had  relinquished  their  title  to  the  lands  which  bordered  the  Ohio  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Wabash  to  the  mouth  of  the  Miami.  Inch  by  inch  the  white 
man  was  forcing  his  way. 

At  Fort  Wayne  on  September  30,  1809,  Harrison  concluded  a  treaty 
with  the  Delaware,  Pottawatomie,  Miami  and  Eel  River  tribes  by  virtue  of 
which  the  United  States  for  a  "consideration  of  a  permanent  annuity  of 
five  hundred  dollars  each  to  the  Delawares,  Pottawatomies  and  Miamis  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  to  the  Eel  River  tribe,  purchased  from  the 
Indians  a  section  of  territory  lying  on  the  southwest  side  of  a  line  beginning 
at  the  mouth  of  Raccoon  creek  on  the  Wabash  river  and  extending  in  a 
southeasterly  direction  to  a  point  near  the  present  city  of  Seymour  in  Jackson 
county,  the  whole  comprising  an  area  of  almost  three  million  acres. 

Here  for  the  first  time  we  come  upon  the  soil  of  what  is  now  Putnam 
county.  The  line  established  by  the  Fort  Wayne  treaty,  and  now  known 
as  the  Indian  boundary  line,  cuts  off  a  small  segment  in  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  county  comprising  an  area  of  about  twenty  square  miles. 
Above  that  line  the  country,  as  represented  in  the  maps  of  that  day,  was  an 
"unexplored  region"  and,  later,  was  designated  as  the  "New  Purchase." 

After  the  admission  of  Indiana  to  the  Union.  Jonathan  Jennings,  the 
newlv  chosen  governor,  Lewis  Cass  and  Benjamin  Parke,  acting  as  com- 
missioners of  the  United  States,  negotiated  a  treaty  with  the  Miami  Indians 
at  St.  Mary's,  Ohio.  It  was  signed  October  6,  1818.  and  provided  for  the 
relinquishment  to  the  United  States,  with  a  few  minor  reservations,  of  the 
Indian  title  to  all  the  territory  south  and  east  of  the  Wabash.  Treaties  were 
also  at  the  same  time,  concluded  with  the  Wea.  Pottawatomie  and  Delaware 
tribes. 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I9 

The  treaties  of  Fort  Wayne  and  St.  Mary's,  therefore,  took  from  the 
Indian  his  title  to  the  lands  now  included  within  the  limits  of  Putnam  county 
and  in  due  time  he  quietly  "folded  his  tent"  and  silently  withdrew  from  the 
magnificent  forests  and  inviting  soil  of  central  Indiana.  The  tribes  repre- 
sented in  the  treaties  named  and  whose  dominion  extended,  really,  from  the 
Scioto  to  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash  and  from  the  Ohio  to  Lake"  Michigan 
mustered  at  least  eight  thousand  warriors.  In  the  earlier  struggles  for  pos- 
session of  the  country  between  the  French  and  English  these  Indians  had 
favored  the  latter,  but,  though  not  lacking  in  bravery,  they  were  not  warlike 
or  aggressive.  Being  more  or  less  inclined  to  deal  peaceably  with  the  white 
man,  they  listened  readily  to  the  latter's  blandishing  overtures,  faithfully 
believed  his  alluring  promises  and,  in  time,  having  bartered  away  their  lands, 
were  gradually  transported  to  reservations  set  apart  for  them  in  the  bound- 
less and  undeveloped  regions  beyond  the  Mississippi. 

The  treaty  of  Fort  Wayne  had  brought  to  the  new  territory  an  influx 
of  hardy  pioneers  in  quest  of  the  lands  which  the  United  States,  with  a 
view  to  encouraging  the  country's  settlement,  was  offering  on  such  liberal 
and' acceptable  temis.  The  land  office  was  located  at  V'incennes,  but  as,  until 
1818,  the  lands  offered  for  sale  there  lay  south  of  the  Indian  boundary, 
which  line  traversed  Putnam  county  at  an  angle  in  the  extreme  southwest 
corner,  the  entries  in  the  little  section  thus  cut  off  were  necessarily  limited 
both  in  size  and  number.  The  treaty  of  St.  Mary's,  however,  released  the 
rest  of  the  territory  south  and  east  of  the  Wabash  so  that  after  1820  entries 
of  land  in  Putnam  county  were  made  at  Terre  Haute  where  the  new  land 
office  was  located. 

EARLY  COUNTY  LINES. 

In  her  early  territorial  days  Indiana  seems  to  have  had  but  one  county 
in  that  part  of  her  domain  in  which  the  white  man  had  thus  far  made  any 
settlement,  and  that  was  called  the  county  of  Knox.  From  the  best  sources 
of  information  now  obtainable  the  northern  boundary  of  Knox  county  at 
that  time  seems  to  have  been  the  present  north  line  of  the  following  counties : 
Parke,  Putnam,  Monroe,  Jackson,  Jennings,  Fayette  and  Union.  Later  it 
was  reduced  by  the  formation  of  Clark  and  Dearborn  counties,  and  this 
process  of  reduction  continued  until  about  forty  counties  were  formed  out 
of  the  original  area.  The  region  north  of  Knox,  and  for  many  years  known 
as  the  "New  Purchase,"  consisted  originally  of  two  counties,  Wabash  and 
Delaware,  which  were  formed  January  22,  1820.    They  were  likewise  reduced 


20  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

in  area  until  the  result  of  the  gradual  subdivisions  was  twenty-seven  of  our 
present  counties  in  the  northern  and  central  parts  of  the  state. 

Indiana  was  admitted  to  the  Union  April  19,  181 6.  Before  the  close 
of  that  year  Knox  county  had  been  reduced  by  the  cutting  off,  from  its 
original  limits,  of  the  counties  of  Daviess  and  Sullivan — the  one  being 
formed  on  December  24th  and  the  other  December  30th.  Within  two  years 
these  counties  were  also  found  to  be  too  large  and  the  process  of  gradual 
reduction  continued.  Vigo  county,  on  January  21,  181 8,  was  formed  out 
of  territory  cut  off  from  Sulhvan  county;  and  Owen,  on  December  21st  in 
the  same  year,  from  territory  out  of  both  Sullivan  and  Daviess  counties. 
Finally,  and  before  the  close  of  the  year  182 1,  both  Vigo  and  Owen  were 
lessened  in  area  by  the  formation  of  our  own  beloved  county  of  Putnam. 

Who  actually  recommended  or  first  suggested  the  name  of  our  county 
we  shall  probably  never  know,  but,  whoever  he  may  have  been,  no  name 
could  have  been  chosen  more  illustrious,  more  honorable,  more  worthy  to 
be  commemorated.  Israel  Putnam  needs  no  monument  to  perpetuate  his 
virtues.  He  is  enshrined  in  the  heart  of  every  true  and  thoughtful  American. 
His  name  and  memory  are  redolent  of  deeds  of  self-sacrifice  and  the  most 
exalted  patriotism.  No  scene  in  history  is  more  vivid  or  capable  of  arousing 
the  inspiration  of  the  youth  of  our  land  than  the  picture  of  the  brave  and 
determined  Connecticut  farmer  who,  on  that  memorable  April  day  in  1775, 
left  his  plow  in  the  furrow,  gathered  up  his  flint-lock  and  powder-horn  and 
straightway  set  out  to  join  the  Minute  Men  of  Lexington  and  Concord. 

The  first  official  step  looking  to  the  creation  or  formation  of  the  county 
was  an  act  of  the  Legislature  which  was  approved  December  21,  1821.  The 
manuscript  of  the  original  act,  musty  and  discolored  with  age  and  bearing 
the  neat  and  immaculate  signature  of  Jonathan  Jennings,  the  governor,  still 
reposes  in  the  archives  of  the  county  in  the  court  house.  As  published  it 
may  be  found  on  page  65  of  the  printed  "Laws  of  the  Sixth  Session."  It 
reads  as  follows : 

"An  Act  for  the  formation  of  a  new  county  out  of  Owen  and  Vigo 
counties  and  north  of  Owen. 

"Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  state  of 
Indiana.  That  from  and  after  the  first  Monday  of  April  next,  all  that  part 
of  the  counties  of  Vigo  and  Owen,  and  of  the  county  north  of  Owen,  con- 
tained in  the  following  bounds,  shall  form  and  constitute  a  separate  county, 
to-wit:  Beginning  in  the  center  of  range  7  west,  on  the  line  dividing  town- 
ships 10  and  II  north,  thence  east  fifteen  miles  to  the  line  dividing  ranges 
4  and  5  west,  thence  north  twelve  miles,   to  the  line  dividing  townships 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  21 

12  and  13  north,  thence  east  three  miles,  thence  north  twelve  miles  to  the 
line  dividing  townships  14  and  15,  thence  west  fifteen  miles  to  the  line 
dividing  ranges  6  and  7  west,  thence  south  six  miles,  thence  west  three 
miles,  thence  south  eighteen  miles  to  the  beginning. 

"Sec.  2.  The  said  new  county  shall  be  known  and  designated  by  the 
name  of  Putnam,  and  shall  enjoy  all  the  rights  and  privileges  and  jurisdic- 
tions which  to  separate  and  independent  counties  do  or  may  properly  apper- 
tain or  belong. 

"Sec.  3.  John  Bartholomew,  of  Owen  county,  Aaron  Redus,  of  Wash- 
ington county,  Jonathan  Wells,  of  Sullivan  county,  John  Allen,  of  Daviess 
county,  and  Peter  Allen,  of  Vigo  county,  are  hereby  appointed  commissioners 
agreeably  to  the  act  entitled,  'An  act  for  the  fixing  of  the  seats  of  justice  in 
all  new  counties  hereinafter  to  be  laid  off.'  The  commissioners  above  named 
shall  convene  at  the  house  of  James  Athey,  in  the  said  county  of  Putnam, 
on  the  first  Monday  in  May  next  and  shall  immediately  proceed  to  discharge 
the  duties  assigned  to  them  by  law.  It  is  hereby  made  the  duty  of  the  sheriff 
of  Owen  county,  to  notify  the  said  commissioners,  either  in  person  or  by 
written  notification,  of  their  appointment  on  or  before  the  fifteenth  of  April 
next,  and  the  said  sheriff  of  Owen  county  shall  receive  from  the  said  county 
of  Putnam  so  much  as  the  county  commissioners  shall  deem  just  and  reason- 
able, who  are  hereby  authorized  to  allow  the  same  out  of  any  monies  in  the 
county  treasury,  in  the  same  manner  other  allowances  are  paid. 

"Sec.  4.  That  the  circuit  court  of  the  county  of  Putnam  shall  meet 
and  be  holden  at  the  house  of  James  Athey,  in  the  said  county  of  Putnam, 
until  suitable  accommodations  can  be  had  at  the  seat  of  justice  and  so  soon 
as  the  courts  of  said  county  are  satisfied  that  suitable  accommodations  can 
be  had  at  the  county  seat,  they  shall  adjourn  their  courts  thereto,  after  which 
time  the  courts  of  the  county  of  Putnam  shall  be  holden  at  the  county  seat 
of  Putnam  county  established  as  the  law  directs.  Provided,  however,  that 
the  circuit  court  shall  have  authority  to  remove  the  court  from  the  house  of 
Tames  Athey  to  any  other  place,  previous  to  the  completion  of  the  public 
buildings,  should  the  said  court  deem  it  expedient. 

"Sec.  5.  That  the  agent  who  shall  be  appointed  to  superintend  the 
sales  of  lots  at  the  county  seat  of  the  county  of  Putnam  shall  reserve  ten 
per  centum  out  of  the  proceeds  thereof,  and  also  ten  per  centum  out  of  the 
proceeds  of  all  donations  made  to  the  county,  and  pay  the  same  over  to 
such  person  or  persons  as  may  be  appointed  by  law  to  receive  the  same,  for 
the  use  of  a  county  library  for  the  said  county  of  Putnam,  w'hich  he  shall 
pay  over  at  such  time  or  times  and  place  as  may  be  directed  by  law. 


22  WEIK  S    HISTORY   OF 

"Sec.  6.  The  board  of  county  commissioners  of  the  said  county  of 
Putnam  shall  within  twelve  months  after  the  permanent  seat  of  justice  shall 
have  been  selected  proceed  to  erect  the  necessary  public  buildings  thereon. 

"Sec.  7.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  such  parts  of  the  county  of 
Putnam  as  previous  to  the  passage  of  this  act  belonged  to  the  counties  of 
Vigo  and  Owen,  shall  be  considered  as  attached  respectively  to  the  counties 
from  which  they  were  taken,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  a  representative  and 
senator  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  state. 

"Sec.  8.  That  the  powers,  privileges  and  authorities  that  are  granted 
to  the  qualified  voters  of  the  county  of  Dtibois  and  others  named  in  the 
act  entitled,  'An  act  incorporating  a  county  library  in  the  counties  therein 
named,  approved  January  the  twenty-eighth,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
eighteen,'  to  organize,  conduct  and  support  a  county  library,  are  hereby 
granted  to  the  qualified  voters  of  the  county  of  Putnam  and  the  same  power 
and  authority  therein  granted  to,  and  the  same  duties  therein  required  of, 
the  several  officers  and  the  person  or  persons  elected  by  the  qualified  voters 
of  Dubois  county  and  other  counties  in  the  said  act  named,  for  carrying  into 
effect  the  provisions  of  the  act  entitled,  'An  act  to  incorporate  a  county 
library  in  the  county  of  Ehabois,  and  other  counties  therein  named,'  according 
to  the  true  intent  and  meaning  thereof,  are  hereby  extended  to  and  required  ■ 
of  the  officers  and  other  persons  elected  by  the  qualified  voters  of  the  county 
of  Putnam. 

"This  act  to  take  effect,  and  be  in  force,  from  and  after  its  passage. 

"Samuel  Milroy, 
"Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
"R.\TLiFF  Boon. 
"President  of  the  Senate. 

"Approved  December  31,  1821. 

"Jonathan  Jennings." 

re-arrangement  of  boundary  lines. 

Within  a  year  following  the  formation  of  the  county,  as  specified  above, 
it  became  necessary  to  re-arrange  its  boundary  lines.  One  portion  of  the  new 
county  was  to  be  restored  to  Vigo  and  another  to  Owen  county.  The  original 
act  fixing  the  boundary  lines  was  therefore  repealed  and  a  new  one,  which 
may  be  found  on  page  five  of  the  published  "Laws  of  the  Seventh  Session." 
was  approved  and  went  into  effect  December  21,  1822.  As  passed  it  reads 
as  follows : 

"An  act  to  amend  an  act,  entitled  'An  act  for  the  formation  of  a  now 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  23 

county,   out  of  Owen  and  Vigo  counties,   and   north   of   Owen,"   approved 
December  31,  1821,  and  for  other  purposes. 

"Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  state  of 
Indiana,  That  the  following  boundaries,  to-wit :  Beginning  in  the  center  of 
town  12  north,  on  the  range  line  dividing  ranges  6  and  7  west,  thence 
east  twenty-four  miles,  to  the  line  dividing  ranges  2  and  3,  thence  north 
with  said  line,  twenty-seven  miles  to  the  line  dividing  townships  16  and  17, 
thence  west  with  said  line  twenty- four  miles,  to  the  line  dividing  ranges  6 
and  7,  thence  south  twenty-seven  miles,  to  the  place  of  beginning,  shall  con- 
stitute and  form  the  boundaries  of  the  county  of  Putnam;  and  that  the  first 
section  of  the  act  to  which  this  is  an  amendment  be  and  the  same  is  hereby 
repealed. 

"Sec.  2.  That  all  that  part  of  the  present  county  of  Putnam  contained 
within  the  following  boundary,  to-wit :  Beginning  in  the  center  of  town 
12  north,  on  the  line  dividing  ranges  6  and  7  west,  thence  east  twelve  miles 
to  the  line  dividing  ranges  4  and  5.  thence  south  nine  miles  to  the  line 
dividing  towns  10  and  11,  thence  west  twelve  miles  with  said  line,  to  the  line 
dividing  ranges  6  and  7,  thence  north  nine  miles,  to  the  place  of  beginning, 
shall  be  attached  to,  constitute,  and  form  a  part  of  the  county  of  Owen, 
and  that  all  that  part  of  the  county  of  Vigo  which  was  attached  to  the 
county  of  Putnam  by  the  act  to  which  this  is  an  amendment,  and  which 
is  not  included  within  the  boundaries  of  said  Putnam  county  as  designated 
by  this  act,  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  attached  to  and  shall  hereafter  con- 
stitute and  form  a  part  of  the  said  county  of  Vigo. 

"Sec.  3.  That  all  suits,  pleas,  plaints,  actions  and  proceedings,  which 
may  have  been  commenced,  instituted  and  pending  within  the  said  countv 
of  Putnam  previous  to  the  taking  effect  of  this  act.  shall  be  prosecuted  and 
carried  on  to  final  effect  in  the  sam.e  manner  as  if  this  act  had  not  been 
passed.  And  the  state  and  county  tax  which  may  be  due  in  that  part  of  the 
county  of  Putnam  by  this  act  attached  to  the  counties  of  Owen  and  Vigo, 
shall  be  collected  and  paid  in  the  same  manner  and  by  the  same  officers  as 
if  this  act  had  not  been  passed. 

"Sec.  4.  This  act  to  take  effect  and  be  in  force  from  and  after  its 
passage. 

"G.  W.  Johnston, 
"Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
"Ratliff  Boon, 
"President  of  the  Senate. 
"Approved.  December  21.   1822. 

"WiLLiA.M  Hendricks." 


24  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

LOCATION'  OF  COUNTY  SEAT. 

It  will  be  observed  on  reading  the  original  act  for  the  formation  of 
Putnam  county  that  five  commissioners  were  designated  to  "fix  the  seat 
of  justice"  in  the  new  county  and  that  they  were  to  convene  for  that  purpose 
at  the  house  of  James  Athey  on  the  first  Monday  in  May  following  the 
passage  of  the  act.  The  home  of  Athey  was  a  log  cabin, — probably  the  first 
one  erected  in  the  county, — which  stood  on  the  land  lying  at  the  confluence 
of  Walnut,  Deer  and  Mill  creeks  and  commonly  known  as  the  Forks  of  Eel. 

For  some  reason  the  commissioners  failed  to  perform  their  duty  and, 
although  the  first  court  was  in  due  time  held  in  Athey's  house,  no  steps  were 
taken  to  select  a  permanent  seat  of  government.  Why  the  matter  was  left 
undone  the  records  fail  to  disclose.  Certain  it  is  that  on  January  7,  1823, 
the  Legislature  passed  another  law  designating  five  new  commissioners  to 
"locate  the  seat  of  justice  in  the  county  of  Putnam."  The  new  act,  reciting 
the  failure  of  the  first  commissioners  to  perform  their  duty,  directs  the  com- 
missioners last  appointed  to  meet  at  the  home  of  John  Butcher  on  the  second 
Monday  in  April,  1823,  and  "proceed  to  discharge  the  duties  assigned  to 
them  by  law."     The  act  as  passed  reads  as  follows : 

"An  act  authorizing  the  location  of  the  seat  of  justice  in  the  county 
of  Putnam. 

■  "Whereas,  it  has  been  represented  to  this  General  Assembly,  that  the 
commissioners  heretofore  appointed  to  locate  the  seat  of  justice  in  the  county 
Putnam,  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  the  act  entitled.  '.\n  act  for  the  forma- 
tion of  a  new  county  out  of  Owen  and  Vigo  counties,  and  north  of  Owen,' 
approved  December  31,  1821,  failed  to  perform  the  duty  assigned  them  by 
said  act,  for  remedy  whereof: 

"Be  it  enacted  bv  the  General  Assembly  of  the  state. of  Indiana,  That 
Jacob  Bell  of  the  county  of  Parke,  Abraham  Buskirk  and  Daniel  Anderson, 
of  the  county  of  Monroe,  Jacob  Cutler,  of  the  county  of  Morgan,  and  James 
Wasson.  of  the  county  of  Sullivan,  be  and  they  are  hereby  appointed  com- 
missioners, agreeable  to  the  act,  entitled  'An  act  for  the  fixing  of  the  seats 
of  justice  in  all  new  counties  hereafter  to  be  laid  off.'  The  commissioners 
above  named  shall  convene  at  the  house  of  John  Butcher,  in  the  said  county 
of  Putnam,  on  the  second  ^Monday  in  April  next,  and  shall  immediately,  or 
as  soon  thereafter  as  may  be  convenient,  proceed  to  discharge  the  duties 
assigned  them  by  law:  and  it  is  hereby  made  the  duty  of  the  sheriff  of  the 
said  county  of  Putnam,  to  notify  the  said  commissioners  of  their  appoint- 
ment, either  in  person  or  bv  written  notification,  on  or  before  the  fifteentli 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  2$ 

day  of  March  next,  and  the  said  sheriff  shall  receive  from  the  said  county 
of  Putnam  so  much  as  the  county  commissioners  of  said  county  shall  deem 
just  and  reasonable,  who  are  hereby  authorized  to  allow  the  same,  out  of 
any  monies  in  the  county  treasury,  to  be  paid  in  the  same  manner  other 
allowances  are  paid.  The  said  commissioners,  and  all  other  proceedings  had 
under  this  act,  shall  be  regulated  and  governed,  in  all  respects  not  provided 
for  by  this  act,  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  the  acts  referred  to  in  this  act. 
"This  act  to  take  effect  from  its  passage. 

"G.  W.  Johnston, 
"Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
"Ratliff  Boon, 
"President  of  the  Senate. 
"Approved,  January  7,  1823.  r 

"William  Hendricks." 

The  home  of  John  Butcher  was  a  log  cabin  on  an  eminence  overlooking 
Big  Walnut  creek  a  short  distance  northwest  of  Greencastle.  Just  why  the 
newly  appointed  commissioners  were  directed  to  meet  there  rather  than  at 
the  Forks  of  Eel,  where  the  settlement  of  the  county  began,  it  is  difficult  to 
understand,  unless  it  was  the  result  of  an  effort  of  the  settlers  in  and  around 
Greencastle  to  impress  the  commissioners  with  the  desirability  and  advantage 
of  locating  the  new  "seat  of  justice"  in  the  center  of  the  county. 

EARLY    SURVEYS    AND    FIRST    LAND    ENTRIES. 

Between  1805  and  1820  the  territory  included  within  the  limits  of 
Putnam  county  had  been  surveyed  and  divided  into  sections,  townships  and 
ranges  by  the  surveyors  employed  by  the  United  States.  An  examination  of 
the  records  of  the  general  land  office  at  Washington  shows  that  the  land 
in  Washington  township  south  of  the  Indian  boundary  line  was  surveyed 
and  the  proper  boundaries  marked  by  John  McDonald,  the  government  sur- 
veyor, in  1814;  the  western  part  of  Cloverdale  by  A.  Holmes  in  1815; 
Jefferson,  east  Cloverdale  and  Mill  Creek  by  John  Milroy  in  1819;  Marion. 
Floyd,  Jackson  and  Franklin  by  Allen  Wright  in  1819  and  the  remaining 
townships  in  1819  and  1820  by  John  Collett.  The  records  of  the  general 
land  office  further  show  that  "entries  in  Putnam  county  were  made  in 
Vincennes  to  1820,  in  Terre  Haute  from  September  24,  1820,  to  1823,  after 
which  they  were  made  in  Crawfordsville  until  April  7.  1853." 

But  the  survevor  was  not  far  in  advance  of  the  settler,  for  in  December. 


26  WEIKS    HISTORY    OF 

1818,  John  M.  Coleman  secured  the  title  to  the  first  piece  of  land  that  ever 
became  the  property  of  a  white  man  in  Putnam  county.  It  was  the  west 
half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  10,  township  12,  range  5  west,  and 
was  entered  by  Mr.  Coleman  at  the  Vincennes  office.  It  adjoined  the  land 
entered  about  the  same  time  by  James  Athey,  in  whose  house  the  first  court 
was  held  and  in  which  the  commissioners,  designated  in  the  bill  admitting  the 
county,  were  directed  to  meet  and  failed  to  do  so.  Both  farms  lie  near  the 
Forks  of  Eel  in  what  is  now  Washington  township.  The  first  tract  entered 
above  the  Indian  boundary  line  and  within  the  limits  of  what  was  then 
known  as  "Harrison's  Purchase"'  was  the  west  half  of  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  18,  township  16,  range  5  west,  and  belonged  to  Felix  Clodfelter. 
It  lies  in  Russell  township  and  was  entered  at  the  Terre  Haute  office,  Octo- 
ber 12,  1820.  Entries  were  now  being  rapidly  made  and  the  quest  for  land 
continued  unabated  for  several  years  so  that  by  1840  all  the  most  desirable 
territory  had  practically  been  taken  up.  The  last  certificate  of  entry  of 
government  land  in  the  county  was  issued  at  the  Indianapolis  office  October 
10,  1854.  The  purchaser  was  Solon  Turman  and  the  entry  included  a  small 
tract  in  what  is  now  Cloverdale  township,  being  described  as  a  part  of  section 
7,  township  12  north,  range  4  west. 

TOPOGR.^PHY   OF    PUTN.\M    COUNTY. 

Putnam  county  contains  an  area  of  four  hundred  and  eighty-six  square 
miles,  or  three  hundred  eleven  thousand  and  forty  acres,  and  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  Montgomery,  on  the  east  by  Hendricks  and  Morgan,  on  the 
south  by  Owen  and  Clay,  and  on  the  west  by  Clay  and  Parke  counties.  The 
surface  of  the  land  in  the  northeastern  parts  is  level  and  in  some  cases 
slightly  undulating,  but  in  the  center  and  southwest  it  is  somewhat  rolling  and, 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  streams,  more  precipitous  and  hilly.  From  a 
table  of  altitudes  furnished  by  the  principal  railroads  traversing  the  county 
it  is  shown  that  the  highest  point  between  the  Ohio  river  at  New  Albany 
and  Michigan  City  on  the  Monon  railroad  is  one  mile  north  of  Bainbridge, 
being  nine  hundred  and  fifty-five  feet  above  the  sea  level,  and  on  the  Van- 
dalia  railroad  near  the  east  line  of  the  county  the  altitude  reached  is  eight 
hundred  and  ninety-seven,  being  but  nine  feet  lower  than  at  Clayton,  the 
highest  point  on  the  road  between  the  Wabash  river  and  Indianapolis. 

"The  entire  surface  of  the  county,"  writes  one  of  the  earlier  historians, 
"was  originally  covered  with  a  dense  forest  of  valuable  timber.  The  beauty 
of  these  woods  could  scarcely  be  surpassed   in   the  worid.   The  trees   were 


Caramack,  Photographe 
THE  STONER   ROAD  ON  LITTLE  WALNUT  CREEK 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  T.'J 

tall,  straight  and  symmetrical  and  were  of  great  variety.  Here  grew  side 
by  side  the  majestic  poplar,  walnut  and  oak,  the  sturdy  sugar  maple  and  the 
beech,  in  company  with  the  tall,  lithe  hickory.  The  different  kinds  were  not 
evenly  dispersed  over  the  ground,  nor  yet  scattered  at  random.  In  one  local- 
ity one  kind  prevailed,  whilst  in  other  localities  other  kinds  were  more 
numerous.  The  ridges  and  the  dry  limestone  land  generally  produced  the 
sugar  maple,  interspersed  with  clumps  of  poplar  and  black  walnut.  The 
cold,  wet  lands  were  covered  with  the  beech,  hickory  and  red  oak,  while  the 
bluffs  along  the  margins  of  the  creeks  were  crowned  with  the  huge  trunks 
and  spreading  tops  of  the  white  oak.  Besides  those  named,  there  was  a 
great  variety  of  other  kinds  of  timber  less  valuable  for  purposes  of  manu- 
facture and  commerce,  but  enhancing  the  grandeur  of  the  solitude  that 
reigned  in  the  midst  of  their  shades.  The  place  of  fruit  trees  was  supplied 
by  the  wild  plum  and  the  black  haw,  with  an  occasional  wild  crab  and 
persimmon.  Some  of  these  ancient  monarchs  of  the  woods,  maple,  poplar 
and  oak — guardians  of  a  thousand  years — may  still  be  seen  around  the  rim 
of  the  farm  lands,  like  sentries  of  the  ages  as  they  fly. 

"The  water-shed  of  the  county  is  to  the  southwest.  It  is  traversed 
by  Walnut  fork  of  Eel  river,  from  northeast  to  southwest,  which  has  for 
its  principal  tributaries,  on  the  west  Little  Walnut,  on  the  east  Warford's 
branch  and  Deer  creek.  The  northwest  portion  of  the  county  is  drained  by 
Raccoon  creek,  while  the  southeast  portion  finds  its  drainage  in  Mill  creek. 
The  county  is  thus  divided  into  three  geographical  sections,  but  they  are  so 
similar  in  their  general  features  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  treat  of  them 
separately.  Each  of  these  streams  draws  supplies  from  almost  innumerable 
smaller  streams,  which  form  a  complete  net-work  of  branches  throughout 
the  extent  of  the  county,  furnishing  to  it  a  complete  system  of  drainage 
for  almost  every  part. 

"The  surface  of  the  county  in  the  eastern  portion  is  level  or  gently  undu- 
lating, affording  vast  fields  for  tillage  and  for  meadows.  The  flat  lands  on 
the  divide  between  the  headwaters  of  Walnut  and  those  of  the  tributaries  of 
Sugar  creek,  lying  principally  within  Boone  county,  extend  into  the  extreme 
northeast  corner  of  Putnam,  sometimes  requiring  artificial  drainage  to  render 
the  land  productive.  The  northern  and  northwestern  portions  of  the  county 
are  rolling,  affording  some  of  the  finest  pasturage  to  be  found  even  in  that 
remarkable  belt  of  pasture  lands  lying  along  the  fortieth  parallel  of  north 
latitude.  The  hills  along  Little  Walnut,  Walnut  and  lower  Deer  creek  at 
times  rise  into  lofty  cliffs,  while  the  valleys  along  these  streams  and  at  the 
mouths  of  their  tributaries  furnish  as  fine  fields  for  grain  as  those  of  the 
best  river  bottoms." 


28  weik's  history  of 

But,  notwithstanding  her  stately  forests  and  her  rich  and  promising 
farm  lands,  a  great  part  of  the  wealth  of  the  county  lies  beneath  the  soil. 
The  early  settlers  were  too  busy  clearing  the  forests  to  delve  into  the  earth 
and  it  is  only  within  recent  years,  since  the  men  of  science  have  begun  their 
investigations,  that  we  have  come  to  realize  the  value  of  the  stone  and  min- 
erals stored  in  such  colossal  proportions  beneath  our  feet.  A  history  of  the 
county  would  be  decidedly  incomplete  which  fails  to  note  or  enumerate  this 
important  item  of  our  natural  resources.  The  liberty  will  be  taken,  there- 
fore, to  quote  freely  from  what  a  very  eminent  scientific  authority,  the  late 
Prof.  John  Collett,  chief  of  the  bureau  of  statistics  and  geology  of  Indiana, 
has  to  say  of  our  county  in  this  regard.  In  a  report  made  to  the  governor 
in  1880,  referring  to  the  "Geology  of  Putnam  County,"  he  says: 

"The  surface  of  the  county  is  agreeably  diversified,  combining  in  a  high 
degree  the  useful  and  agreeable,  as  rocky  scenery,  with  romantic  views  of 
plain  and  woodland,  rich  in  interest  to  the  economist,  all  uniting  to  tell  a 
long  story,  recorded  on  rock  and  plain,  of  the  earth's  past,  laden  with  prom- 
ises of  the  future.  Soils  and  surface  deposits  are  formed  by  the  disintegra- 
tion and  destruction  of  rocks.  If  derived  from  local  rocks  or  a  single  bed 
they  are  generally  thin  or  obdurate,  and  the  character  of  the  productions — 
even  of  a  people — may  be  declared  from  their  geological  deposits.  On  the 
other  hand,  a  region  having  a  soil  derived  from  the  greatest  number  of  strata 
is,  as  a  rule,  productive  and  desirable.  The  soils  of  Putnam  county,  although 
principally  composed  of  the  local  rocks  which  give  character  to  the  different 
parts,  are  also  enriched  by  materials  imported  from  the  paleozoic  strata  and 
thoroughly  crushed,  mingled  and  incorporated  by  the  mighty  forces  of  the 
glacial  age;  the  soil,  therefore,  is  superior  or  equal  to  the  best. 

"The  alluvial  deposits  or  creek  and  river  bottoms  which  belt  the  water 
courses  are  due  to  causes  now  in  action.  This  material  is  derived  from 
the  adjoining  banks,  enriched  by  the  wear  of  rolling  pebbles  and  grinding 
sand  and  is  cast  out  by  overflows  upon  the  flood  plains  of  the  streams. 
Rich  in  mineral  plant  food,  it  always  contains  a  large  amount  of  soluble 
organic  matter,  constituting  a  valuable  and  productive  farm  or  garden  land. 
Each  bottom  field  is  a  gold  mine,  for  its  productions  will  bring  gold  or  its 
equivalent  with  less  labor  than  ordinary  pursuits  or  mines. 

"These  deposits  are  characteristic  of  an  epoch  which  occurred  subsequent 
to  the  glacial.  The  arctic  coldness  had  subsided.  A  great  body  or  sea  of 
fresh  water  covered  most  of  the  southern  half  of  the  state  with  gulfs,  1)33^5 
and  lagoon  arms  which  reached  north  in  the  line  of  the  ice  thrusts.  A  warm, 
almost  tropical  climate  prevailed,  giving  life  and  sustenance  to  the  monster 


PUTNAM     COUNTY,    INDIANA.  2g 

animals  now  extinct,  including  the  American  elephant,  whose  remains  have 
been  found  at  several  stations  in  the  county.  This  deposit,  an  almost 
impalpable  sand  and  clay,  was  slowly  formed  at  the  bottom  of  a  quiet, 
waveless  lake,  filling  up  the  lowest  inequalities  in  the  surface,  for  the  lake 
water  did  not  cover  the  high  lands.  Good  examples  are  seen  in  the  level 
plain  adjoining  Mill  creek,  in  the  southeast  parts  and  in  the  railway  cuts  at 
and  west  of  Oakalla  station.  Loess  loams  produce  sweet  fruits,  and  being 
free  from  pebbles  are  well  suited  for  the  manufacture  of  bricks. 

"To  the  strange  phenomena  of  the  glacial  epoch  we  are  indebted  largely 
for  results  which  make  this  soil  and  surface  configuration  so  desirable — a 
more  than  "Xew  Kentucky."  A  grand  river  of  ice,  with  its  sources  among  the 
snowy  heights  of  distant  mountains,  laden  with  materials  which  border  the 
St.  Lawrence  and  lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  pushed  its  ice  foot  beyond  the 
western  shore  of  Lake  Erie  and  sent  volumes  of  water  through  deep-cut 
sluiceways  across  the  state  from  north  eighty  degrees  east  to  the  opposite 
course  west,  bringing  with  it,  as  indications  of  its  origin,  nuggets  of  Cham- 
plain  iron  ore  and  'biscuit  stones'  of  Medina  sandstone,  etc.  Evidences  of 
this  violent  water  flow  are  seen  in  the  ancient  bed  one  hundred  and  nine 
feet  below  the  present  channel  of  Eel  river  in  Clay  county.  In  Putnam 
county  the  same  developments  are  met  in  sinking  wells  near  the  southern 
boundary.  At  the  fork  of  Croy's  creek,  four  miles  west  of  Reelsville, 
A.  O.  Hough  put  down  a  bore  for  coal  about  1865,  finding  the  bottom 
rock  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  below  the  present  water  bed.  It  seems  pos- 
sible that  the  ancient  Walnut  creek  flowed  south  eighty  degrees  west  or 
nearly  west  by  Otter  creek  from  Oakalla  to  the  Wabash  in  a  channel  now 
deeply  hid  but  which  future  developments  may  discover. 

"From  causes  now  unknown  the  source  of  the  ice  river  was  afterwards 
changed  to  the  northern  center  of  the  continent.  This  glacier  moved  south 
in  two  divisions,  one  excavating  the  basins  of  Lake  Michigan  and  the  other 
of  Huron  and  St.  Clair,  the  first  crossing  the  state  from  north  to  south 
eight  degrees  to  ten  degrees  east.  The  latter  was  very  nearly  due  south. 
Combined,  they  are  wider  than  the  state  of  Indiana  from  east  to  west  and. 
at  a  point  of  obstruction  in  Brown  county,  the  ice  was  about  four  hundred 
feet  deep.  It  bore  upon  its  surface  and  in  its  icy  bosom  immense  quantities 
of  angular  rocks,  bowlders,  gravel,  sand  and  earth  from  northern  regions, 
which,  crushed  and  powdered,  were  mingled  with  the  debris  of  local  rocks 
planed  away  and  ground  up  in  the  mill  of  nature.  The  result  was  that 
irregularities  were  cut  down,  ancient  river  channels  and  sluiceways  of  o'reat 
depth  were  filled  up  and  the  underlying  rocks  covered  with  a  gray  compact 
l)e<l  of  clay.  sand,  gravel  and  rock,  termed  the  bowlder  or  glacial  drift. 


30 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


"Interesting  specimens  of  glacial  grooves,  stride  and  planishing  are  seen 
in  the  'Rock  Cut'  north  of  Maple  Grove  station,  on  the  Louisville,  New 
Albany  &  Chicago  railroad,  and  on  W.  B.  Williams'  farm,  section  28,  town- 
ship 13,  range  4,  two  miles  south  of  Putnamville.  At  the  first  locality  the 
glacier,  in  its  southward  movement,  filled  the  valley  of  the  adjoining  stream 
to  the  east,  and  was  heaped  against  and  ground  down  the  sloping  sides  and 
banks  of  the  valley.  The  planished  surfaces,  grooves  and  strice  are  distinct 
and  perfect  as  of  yesterday.  At  the  second  locality  (Williams'  farm)  the 
ice  flowing  from  the  north  was  obstructed  by  a  high  hill  of  conglomerate 
sand  rock,  against  which  it  steadily  advanced  with  resistless  force  until  it 
mounted  the  hill,  leaving  many  planished  surfaces,  with  scars  and  well 
preserved  grooves  on  the  summit. 

"The  coal  measures  are  the  most  recent  rocks  exposed  and  comprise 
the  southwestern  parts  of  the  county.  Beginning  at  Portland  Mills,  they 
generally  form  the  surface  rock  west  of  Little  and  Big  Walnut  creeks;  south 
of  Reelsville,  they  broaden  to  the  east  to  near  Cloverdale,  and  thence  south- 
west by  Doe  creek  to  the  southern  boundary  period. 

"The  conglomerate  coal  occurs  at  intervals  all  over  the  district.  At  a 
few  stations  it  attains  a  thickness,  in  small  pockets,  of  two  or  three  feet,  but 
such  pockets  or  pools  are  limited  in  width  to  a  few  yards  or  rods.  As  a  rule 
the  seam  is  barren  or  only  one  or  two  inches  thick  and  will  not  exceed  an 
average  of  four  inches.  The  product  is  at  the  same  time  sulphurous  and 
inferior.  In  the  vicinity  of  Morton  a  depression  in  the  underlying  rocks 
gives  an  eastern  extension  of  the  coal  measure  rocks,  and  many  beautifully 
preserved  'ferns'  and  trunks  of  plants  indicate  the  horizon  of  coal,  the  super- 
imposed sand  rock  having  been  chiefly  eroded.  Other  outcrops  of  coal  occur 
north  and  northwest  of  Reelsville;  generally  thin  and  unworked.  These 
coals  are  only  opened  for  local  use  now  and  will  not  pay  to  work  except  by 
stripping;  but,  in  the  distant  future,  when  coal  may  possibly  become  scarce 
or  railway  transportation  exorbitant  seams  eighteen  inches  thick,  and  even 
less,  will  be  worked  as  such  seams  are  now  sometimes  worked  in  Europe. 

"During  the  petroleum  excitement  (about  1865)  a  prospecting  bore  was 
put  down  in  the  east  side  of  the  village  of  Reelsville,  commencing  eighteen 
feet  above  lovv'  water  in  Big  Walnut  creek.  There  resulted  a  strong  flow  of 
white  sulphur  water  highly  charged  with  sulphuretted  hydrogen  gas  and 
containing  chlorides  of  sodium  calcium  and  magnesium,  sulphites  of  the  same 
bases  with  traces  of  bromide  and  iodine,  etc.  It  had  a  pleasant  saline,  sulphur- 
ous taste  and  pungent  odor  and  was  found  to  have  great,  medicinal  efficacy 
in  cases  of  dyspepsia,  rheumatism  and  ague.     It  was  considered  a  specific 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3I 

in  diseases  of  the  liver  and  kidneys  and,  although  the  outlet  was  covered  by 
the  flood  of  1875,  'ts  'magic  cures'  are  still  held  in  kind  remembrance  in  this 
vicinity. 

"Si.x  miles  .southwest  of  Qoverdale  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section 
12,  town  12.  range  5,  is  a  very  considerable  outcrop  of  rich  band  and  kidney 
iron  ore  in  a  wild,  deep  ravine.  It  was  mined  in  i860  by  the  proprietor  and 
some  thirty  tons  sold  to  the  Knightsville  furnace.  It  was  found  to  be  an 
excellent  ore  to  mix  as  a  flux  with  the  Missouri  or  Lake  Superior  ore.  P.ut 
the  expense  of  mining  and  hauling  was  fully  equal  to  the  market  value  and 
the  enterprise  was  abandoned. 

"The  St.  Louis  beds  of  limestone  foiTn  the  surface  rocks  in  a  well 
marked  division  from  four  to  eight  miles  broad,  extending  from  the  extreme 
northwestern  to  the  southwestern  comers  of  the  county,  with  denuded  exten- 
sions in  the  valleys  of  the  Chester  and  coal  measure  beds.  These  strata  are 
known  as  the  'ca\'emous'  or  'concretionary'  limestones  of  the  western  states 
and  are  remarkable  in  the  southern  parts  of  this  state  for  caverns,  sunken 
valleys  and  subterranean  rivers.  South  and  east  of  Greencastle  many  funnel- 
shaped  sink-holes  which  receive  and  deliver  the  rainfall  to  hidden  streams, 
indicate  the  probability  of  small  caverns  yet  to  be  disco\ered  here.  The 
limestones  vary  much  in  quality.  Some  are  pure  carbonate ;  others  are 
silicious  or  aluminous  and  beds  of  shale,  clay  and  argillite  are  interpolated. 

"About  a  mile  east  of  Cloverdale  on  descending  from  the  limestone 
hills  a  level,  flat  clay  district  is  found  which  extends  east  beyond  Eel  river 
and  northeast  towards  Monrovia  in  Morgan  county.  This  area  has  been 
deeply  eroded  during  the  glacial  epoch,  removing  more  than  fifty  feet  of  St. 
Louis  limestone  and  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  county  exposing  rocks  of 
the  Keokuk  and  Knobstone  groups.  The  excavation  is  now  refilled  with 
lacustral  and  fluviatile  drift,  indicating  an  a'oandoned  river  bed  which  once 
connected  by  Indian  creek  with  White  river  valley. 

"Putnamville,  located  on  the  National  road,  is  famous  for  valuable 
quarries  of  paving  curb  and  step  stones.  From  it  have  been  shipped  large 
quantities  of  flags,  bridge,  dimension  and  rubble  stone.  The  product  has  been 
in  use.  severely  exposed  to  the  extreme  vicissitudes  of  our  variable  climate, 
including  changes  of  sixty  degrees  of  temperature  in  a  single  day,  for  over 
forty  years.  It  has  shown  capacity  to  resist  the  action  of  frost,  fire  and  ice. 
Samples,  taken  as  a  rule  from  the  exposed  parts  of  the  quarry  when  tlrst 
opened  in  1838-40,  may  be  seen  in  piers,  etc.,  of  the  bridges  and  culverts  on 
the  National  road  and  in  the  locks  of  the  canal,  the  steps  of  the  mother 
and  branch  Banks  of  State  at  Indianapolis  and  also  steps  of  the  Terre  Haxite 
House  at  Terre  Haute  and  of  the  old  university  building  at  Greencastle. 


32 


VVEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


"Greencastle.  the  county  seat,  is  situated  on  the  high  rolHng  table  land 
one  mile  east  of  Walnut  fork  of  Eel  river.  Geologically,  it  rests  upon  the 
upper  ledges  of  the  St.  Louis  limestone.  The  conglomerate  sand  rock  of 
the  coal  measures  caps  the  summit  of  Forest  Hill  cemetery  just  south,  as 
also  the  hills  across  Walnut  just  west  of  the  city.  Similar  quarries  are 
found  at  several  points  about  town  affording  an  abundant  and  cheap  supply 
of  stone  which  meets  with  the  approval  of  the  architects  and  builders  of  the 

city. 

"Going  north  from  Greencastle,  many  outcrops  and  quarries  of  St.  Louis 
limestone  are  observable,  presenting  ledges  of  rock  so  similar  to  those  already 
given  that  repetition  is  unnecessary.  The  surface  outlook  is  characteristic  of 
this  limestone  and  is  plane  on  the  plateaus  or  gently  undulating,  moulded  into 
long  rolls  and  slopes  by  the  action  of  air  and  moisture  during  ages  of  time. 
The  soil  is  a  calcareous  loam  and  was  originally  clothed  with  a  stately  forest, 
composed  of  oak,  poplar,  ash,  walnut,  sugar,  etc.,  trees,  which  indicate  and 
characterize  the  soil  that  produces  them.  The  sharp  cuts  of  the  creeks  and 
brooks  where  rocky  exposures  are  seen  were  exceptional  scars  on  the  face 
of  nature  so  recent  as  to  lack  the  healing  and  smoothing  element  of  time. 

"From  an  elevation  high  enough  to  include  the  whole  county  from  east 
to  west  the  autumnal  foliage  would  present  north-south  lines  of  brilliant 
colors  strongly  marked  and  of  magic  splendor.  At  the  time  of  my  visit 
(October,  1880)  the  usual  summer  was  followed  by  a  warm,  dry  autumn, 
ripening  the  leaves  of  all  the  trees  to  full  maturity  before  touched  by  frost. 
The  eastern  or  Knobstone  division  of  the  county  showed  a  background  of 
the  pale  green  of  the  beech,  on  which  trembled  as  stars  in  the  sky  a  never- 
endint^  medley  of  orange,  straw,  red.  and  other  neutral  tints  of  their  com- 
panions, with  occasional  clumps  of  dogwood  and  maple  to  give  vivacity  to 
the  modest  scene.  In  the  western  or  coal  measure  district,  the  background 
was  the  russet  and  brown  of  the  oaks,  flecked  with  strong  blocks  and  lines 
of  vivid  colors.  In  the  central  or  St.  Louis  division  both  the  parts  merged 
and  mellowed,  their  contrasting  colors  uniting  to  crown  every  hill  and  deck 
everv  valley  with  a  foliage  that  has  never,  can  never  be  painted  or  described : 
in  which  the  scarlet,  crimson  and  orange  of  the  sugar  and  dogwood  contrast 
in  quivering  life  with  gold,  pink,  green  and  russet  of  the  elm,  beech,  oak, 
hickory,  poplar  and  minor  shrubs.  It  is  not  the  display  of  a  single  tree  or 
clump,  but  the  whole  woodland,  united  in  a  glorious  blaze  of  untiring  beauty. 
Soon  the  ground,  too.  is  spread  with  a  carpet  of  full  ripened  leaves  which  with 
everv  breath  of  air  is  stirred  into  an  ever-changing  kaleidoscope  of  colors,  the 
whole  forming  an  attraction  which  would  justify  a  long  journey  to  witness 
and  enjoy." 


TfflNqEr 
/Ve 

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A'9  6 

BflNqe 

A/OS 

R/j/vq£- 

R»Nq£- 
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TfflNqe- 

ToiVNSH'P 

17  North 

- 

Tomf A/SHIP 
IBNof^TH 

Town  SHIP 
15  NoffTH 

} 

Tow  A/ SHIP 

1^  North 

1       I         ;  Tow/v-iHip 
1    /J          1 

i     }                          \ 

! 

Township 

li.  North 

! 

i 
1 

Township 
U  North 

Putnam  County    16^/ 


Pfite^ENT  Sou/^CflF?l£  S 


RED   BY    ALEC  A   LANE 


CHAPTER  II. 


ORGAXIZATION  OF  THE  COUNTY. 


As  originally  organized,  Putnam  county  consisted  of  six  townships, 
named  Deer  Creek,  Hart,  Sparta,  Tipton.  Walnut  and  Washington.  To 
locate  them  or  fix  the  boundary  lines  which  separated  them  cannot  now  be 
done  for  the  reason  that  the  records  of  the  proceedings  of  the  county  com- 
missioners prior  to  1828,  where  such  information  would  properly  belong, 
have  long  since  disappeared  from  the  files  of  the  county  auditor's  ofiice. 
From  certain  documents  recently  found  in  the  clerk's  office,  however,  we 
are  safe  in  assuming  that  Tipton  township  was  in  the  centre  of  the  county 
and  included  the  town  of  Greencastle;  that  Deer  Creek  was  in  the  south 
part  of  the  county  and  adjacent  to  the  stream  which  bears  that  name,  and 
that  Washington  was  in  the  southwest  corner  and  covered  practically  the 
territory  now  included  within  the  limits  of  the  present  township  of  that  name. 
In  the  absence  of  the  necessary  records  the  location  of  the  three  other  town- 
ships must,  therefore,  be  left  somewhat  to  conjecture.  From  a  list  of  voters 
found  in  the  files  of  the  clerk's  office  entitled  "Returns  from  Hart  town- 
ship," it  appears  that  an  election  in  1823  was  held  at  the  home  of  Moses 
Hart  and  again  in  August,  1825,  another  election  at  Jacob  Beck's  mill  in  the 
same  tow-nship;  and  from  a  similar  return  of  voters  in  Sparta  we  learn  that 
the  August  election  in  1823  in  that  township  was  held  at  James  Kelso's 
mill.  As  for  Walnut  township,  the  only  item  of  record  thus  far  found  point- 
ing to  its  existence  as  a  township  is  an  indictment  in  the  clerk's  files  returned 
by  a  grand  jury  in  June,  1823,  which  charges  "Charles  Wright,  laborer,  of 
Walnut  township."  with  assault  and  battery  on  the  person  of  one  James 
Frazier.  Beyond  these  meagre  and  desultory  discoveries  it  is  practically 
impossible  at  this  late  day  to  secure  further  or  more  definite  information 
regarding  these  early  divisions  in  our  county's  political  geography. 

By  1828,  when  the  recorded  history  of  the  county's  government  begins, 
the  earlier  named  townships  had  faded  away  and  in  their  places  we  find  the 
following:  Clinton.  Greencastle.  Jackson.  Jefiferson.  Madison.  Marion,  Mon- 
roe and  Washington.  These  in  the  course  of  time  were  still  further  reduced 
in  area  by  the  formation  of  Russell,  Franklin,  Floyd,  Warren  and  Clover- 
dale,  the  last  named  not  coming  into  existence  till  1S46.     In  September,  i860. 


34 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


the  coniniissioners  of  I'utnani  county  annexed  about  fifteen  s(|uare  miles 
of  the  tem'torv  of  M()ri:;an  county  lying  northwest  of  Mill  creek,  their  action 
being  confimied  bv  the  Legislature  March  ir,  1861.  The  tract  thus  added 
to  Putnam  countv  was  organized  into  a  township  and  called  Mill  Creek. 

At  jjfesent.  therefore,  the  county  is  divided  into  fourteen  civil  town- 
ships. Jackson.  Franklin.  Russell.  Clinton.  Monroe,  Floyd.  Marion.  Green- 
castle  and  Madison  are  each  six  miles  square:  Washington  is  nine  miles  from 
north  to  south  and  six  from  east  to  west :  Warren  and  Jefferson  each  five 
miles  north  and  south  and  six  east  and  west ;  Cloverdale  four  north  and 
south  and  twelve  east  and  west.  Mill  Creek  is  somewhat  irregular  in  shape 
and  contain^  in  the  neighborhood  of  fifteen  square  miles.  The  entire  county 
embraces  an  area  of  almost  five  hundred  square  miles  and  is  the  twelfth  in 
size    in   the   state. 

FIRST  SETTLEMENTS. 

As  the  settlement  of  a  new  country  usually  follows  the  water  courses, 
it  will  be  readilv  understood  that  the  scene  of  the  earliest  activity  in  Putnam 
countv  was  at  the  h^orks  of  Eel.  Among  the  first  who  had  come  hither 
were  James  Athev  and  John  M.  Colman,.  who  entered  adjoining  tracts 
of  land  in  that  vicinity.  They  were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  had  emigrated 
from  Bour1)on  county  to  Fort  Harrison  near  Terre  Haute,  arriving  in  18 16. 
Two  vears  later,  after  a  journey  to  the  Vincennes  land-office,  they  set  out 
on  horseback  to  take  possession  of  their  newly  acquired  lands.  Earl\-  in  the 
spring  of  1818  Athey  cleared  a  portion  of  his  land  and  put  in  a  crop  of 
corn,  it  being  the  first  cultivation  by  a  white  man  of  the  soil  of  Putnam 
countv.  Colman  did  not  remain  very  long  and  in  time  returned  to  Vigo 
countv.  .\  little  later  Benjamin  Croy  came  and  still  later  Otwell  Thomas  and 
Reuben.  Ragan.  These  men  assisted  Athey  in  erecting  a  dwelling,  the  first 
structure  built  in  the  new  county.  Soon  after,  and  a  short  distance  north 
of  the  new  settlement  at  the  Forks.  Webster's  mill  was  built  on  the  banks 
of  Walnut,  being  the  first  piece  of  machinery  to  '"wake  the  echoes  of  the 
surrounding  solitude  with  its  monotonous  hum.'"  By  the  close  of  the  year 
four  families  had  settled  along  the  lower  edge  of  the  county. 

Settlement  in  wliat  was  then  known  as  the  Xew  Purchase,  being  above 
the  Indian  lioundary  line,  did  not  begin  so  early.  The  first  permanent  resi- 
dent wa>  lohn  Sigler.  who  came  with  his  family  from  Kentucky  in  March. 
i8_>i.  accompanied  by  Thomas  Johnson  and  located  on  land  which  is  now 
v.ithin  the  citv  limits  of  Greencastle.  In  May  following  came  John  John- 
.son.  wliri  settled  a  few  miles  southeast  of  the  same  place.  Before  the  close 
of  the  vear  the  new  colon v  was  increased  l)y  the  arrival  of  Jefferson  Thomas, 


1471541 

PL'TXAM     COUXTY,    INDIA.VA.  35 

Abraham  Coffman.  Samuel  Rugers.  Jubal  (also  kno\v!i  as  "■Jubilee")  Deweese, 
Isaac  Matkin,  Abraham  Lewis  and  the  Rev.  Reuben  Clearwaters,  the  first 
preacher,  in  all  probability,  who  ventured  to  penetrate  the  wilds  of  the  new 
county.  In  almost  every  instance  these  hardy  and  venturesome  pioneers 
came  from  Kentucky.  Among  those  who  made  a  settlement  in  the  more 
northern  part  of  the  county  was  James  Gordon,  whose  native  state  was 
North  Carolina,  but  who  had  lived  for  a  time  in  the  southeastern  part  of 
the  state,  in  the  strip  which  lay  between  the  mouths  of  the  Kentucky  and 
the  Miami-  rivers.  He  entered  a  tract  of  land  about  nine  miles  north  of 
Greencastle  on  which,  later,  a  part  of  the  town  of  Brainbridge  was  located.  His 
son  James,  who  was  seven  years  old  when  the  family  reached  Putnam  coun- 
ty, is  still  living  and,  although  in  his  ninety-si.xth  year,  is  able  to  recall  and 
relate  many  interesting  and  stirring  incidents  of  his  boyhood  in  the  wilder- 
ness. He  is  doubtless  the  only  person  now  living  who  was  here  when  the 
county  was  organized. 

Meanwhile  the  commissioners  designated  by  the  Legislature  for  that 
purpose  had  met,  as  required,  at  the  house  of  John  Butcher  and  agreed  upon 
a  location  for  the  seat  of  county  government.  The  site  chosen  was  a  hill  over- 
looking Walnut  creek  and  almost  in  the  exact  geographical  center  of  the 
county.  As  an  inducement  towards  the  location  there  and  in  consideration 
thereof,  Ephraim  Dukes  and  Rebecca  his  wife  conveyed  to  Amos  Robertson, 
designated  as  "agent  for  Putnam  county,"  seventy  acres  of  land  in  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  21.  township  14  north,  range  4  west.  The  deed  was  exe- 
cuted September  2/,  1823,  and  recites  that  the  land  is  donated  in  considera- 
tion that  the  county  seat  is  located  at  the  "town  of  Greencastle."  The  tract 
thus  conveyed  includes  that  part  of  the  city  of  Greencastle  which  lies  be- 
tween Locust  and  Indiana  streets.  June  7,  1825,  Duke's  son-in-law,  John 
Wesley  Clark,  and  Elizabeth  his  wife,  for  the  same  consideration  mentioned 
in  Duke's  deed,  conveyed  to  John  Baird,  "agent  for  Putnam  county,"  eighty 
acres,  being  the  west  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  same  section  and 
adj(jining  the  tract  Dnkes  had  donated  two  years  before.  The  land  conveyed 
by  this  last  deed  comprises  that  part  of  the  city  of  Greenca.stle  which  lies 
between   Indiana  street  and  the  western  limits  on  Gillespie  street. 

The  original  town-site  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  divided 
into  two  hundred  and  fourteen  lots,  and  was  bounded  on  the  north  by  Liberty 
street ;  on  the  west  by  Gillespie  ;  on  the  south  by  Hill  and  on  the  east  bv  Locust. 

As  to  the  e.xtent  and  character  of  the  contest  over  the  location  of  the 
county  seat  it  is  impossible  to  secure  any  material  or  authentic  information. 
There  doubtless  was  some  rivalry  between  those  who  lived  or  were  interest- 


^6  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

ed  in  the  region  about  Greencastle  and  the  people  at  the  Forks  of  Eel,  but 
how  spirited  the  competition  was  or  who  were  the  leaders  therein  the  records 
fail  to  disclose.  A  very  singular  entry  is  found  in  the  records  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  county  commissioners'  court  dated  July  7,  1828.  It  reads  as 
follows : 

"Ordered  by  the  board  of  county  justices  that  John  Baird,  agent  of 
Putnam  countv,  refuse  payment  on  an  order,  issued  by  Arthur  ^IcGaughey, 
clerk  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  and  now  clerk  of  this  board, 
payable  to  John  Allen  for  services  rendered  in  locating  the  seat  of  justice 
for  Putnam  county  at  the  town  of  Bedford." 

Naturally  the  people  of  this  generation  would  be  glad  to  learn  where 
"the  town  of  Bedford"  was,  but  alas  for  us,  a  careful  search  of  the  deed 
books,  the  plat  books  and  other  records  in  the  various  offices  in  the  court 
house  fails  to  reveal  the  slightest  hint  of  this  early  competitor  of  Greencastle 
for  countv  seat  honors.  Some  years  after  the  county  seat  question  had  been 
settled  in  favor  of  Greencastle,  and  after  the  National  road  had  been  con- 
structed, Putnamville,  then  a  busy  and  important  place  on  that  great  thor- 
oughfare, began  to  agitate  the  question  of  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  jus- 
tice from  Greencastle,  arguing  that  as  Putnamville  was  more  favorably 
located  as  to  the  great  highway  for  travel,  it  was  the  natural  and  logical 
location  for  the  county  seat.  An  irritating  rivalry  thus  grew  up  between 
the  two  towns  which  continued  for  years,  but  never  crystalized  into  any 
sort  of  organized  action. 

EPHRAIM  DUKES. 

In  this  connection  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  explain  that  the  writer,  in 
obedience  to  the  apparent  interest  manifested  in  the  career  of  Ephraim 
Dukes,  has  been  unremittingly  exhaustive  in  his  efforts  to  learn  the  latter's 
antecedents  as  well  as  his  later  history.  The  commonly  accepted  tradition 
that  Dukes  gave  Greencastle  its  name  after  the  town  in  Pennsylvania  by  that 
name,  where  he  originated,  has  not  thus  far  been  verified.  Extensive  cor- 
respondence with  old  settlers  in  Greencastle,  Pennsylvania,  and  also  in  Ship- 
pensburg,  where  the  Duke  family  is  somewhat  prominent  and  numerous,  fails 
to  shed  any  light  on  the  existence  or  origin  of  Ephraim.  The  family  there 
spell  their  name  without  the  final  s.  In  the  absence  of  any  more  definite 
information  than  has  thus  far  been  obtainable  there  can  be  no  good  reason 
to  reject  the  theory  that  Ephraim  Dukes  emigrated  hither  from  Kentucky. 
The  family  is  more  or  less  numerous  in  Virginia  and  near  the  close  of  the 
eighteenth  century  several  of  its  members  moved  into  Kentucky.  Inasmuch, 
therefore,  as  at  least  seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  early  settlers  who  came  to 


PUTNAM     COUNTY.    INDIANA.  37 

our  county  hailed  from  Kentucky,  it  is  not  improbable  that  Ephraim  Dukes 
originated  tliere  also.  His  later  history  is  equally  nebulous  and  uncertain. 
He  remained  in  Putnam  county  till  about  1835,  when,  in  company  with  the 
late  Gen.  Joseph  Orr,  he  removed  to  Laporte  county,  Indiana.  He  was  living 
there  in  July,  1836,  as  shown  by  a  deed  executed  by  him  at  that  time  and 
soon  after  forwarded  here  to  be  recorded.  Beyond  this  last  item  of  infor- 
mation it  has  been  impossible  to  find  any  trace  of  him.  General  Orr,  with 
whom  he  emigrated  to  Laporte  county,  was  a  well  known  character  and  con- 
tinued to  reside  there  till  his  death,  about  thirty  years  ago,  but  the  most 
persistent  and  thorough  inquiry  fails  to  elicit  any  information  as  to  Dukes. 
The  probability  is  that  his  stay  in  Laporte  county  was  brief  and  that  he 
eventually  moved  farther  westward,  leaving  scarcely  a  footprint  behind.  While 
still  a  resident  of  Putnam  he  filled  several  minor  places  of  the  grade  of 
constable  and  court  bailiff  and  was  finally  promoted  to  the  office  of  coroner. 
His  name  was  perpetuated  by  his  fellow-townsmen  in  one  of  the  principal 
streets  of  Greencastle  which  was  for  years  called  Ephraim,  after  him,  but 
which,  unfortunately,  was  recently  changed  to  the  more  fashionable  and 
euphonious  College  avenue. 

SALE  OF  TOWN   LOTS. 

In  the  year  following  the  organization  of  the  county  Greencastle  began 
to  show  some  signs  of  life.  Before  the  close  of  1822  Ephraim  Diikes  had 
erected  a  cabin  on  the  lot  at  the  corner  of  Washington  street  and  College 
avenue  where  Dr.  Ayler's  office  now  stands.  He  was  speedily  followed  by 
Silas  G.  Weeks,  who  occupied  the  lot  on  which  the  Donner  block,  at  the 
corner  of  \\'ashington  and  Vine  streets,  is  built  and  he.  in  turn,  by  Jubal 
Deweese.  \\ho  pitched  his  tent  about  midway  on  the  block  on  the  north  side 
of  the  court  house  square,  and  John  F.  Seller,  who  built  a  cabin  on  the  south 
side  of  the  same  square  and  near  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Indiana 
streets.  In  due  time,  following  the  settlement  of  the  county  seat  (piestion, 
came  the  ine\'itable  sale  of  town  lots.  It  may  not  be  without  interest  to  in- 
dicate the  values  at  that  time  of  real  estate  in  the  "business  district""  of  the 
city.  Lot  Xo.  iJi.  being  the  north  half  of  the  block  on  the  east  side  of  the 
court  house  square,  was  sold  to  David  Matlock,  for  seventy  dollars ;  No. 
122.  immediately  south,  went  to  Thomas  Deweese  for  one  hundred  dollars; 
Xo.  1 12.  the  east  half  of  the  block  on  the  south  side  of  the  public  square,  to 
John  Oatman  for  sixty-eight  dollars;  X'o.  loi.  immediately  west,  to  Samuel 
M.  Biggs  for  forty  dollars:  Xo.  91.  the  south  half  of  the  block  on  the 
west  side  of  the  public  sfpiare.  was  sold  to  James  Talbott  for  sixtv-one  dollars; 


38 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


No.  92,  immediately  north,  to  Joseph  Thornburg,  for  sixty  dollars.  On 
the  north  side  of  the  court  house  the  west  half,  being  lot  No.  100,  went 
to  Jubal  Deweese  for  eighty-seven  dollars  and  the  east  half  of  Lot  No. 
113  to  Joshua  H.  Lucas  for  sixty-one  dollars.  Lot  No.  120.  lying  beyond 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  court  house  square,  brought  eighty-three  dollars 
and  fiftv  cents,  being  sold  to  Samuel  Hunter;  Xo.  123,  at  the  southeast 
corner,  where  the  Southard  building  now  stands,  went  to  James  Trotter 
for  one  hundred  eleven  dollars;  No.  90,  at  the  southwest  corner,  now  owned 
by  James  F.  Hill,  was  sold  to  Isaac  Ash  for  forty-one  dollars  and  No.  93, 
at  the  northwest  corner,  now  occupied  by  the  Haspel  meat  market,  brought 
the  highest  price  of  all,  being  sold  to  Al^raham  Wooley  for  one  hundred 
and  fifty-eight  dollars.  Outlying  lots,  remote  from  the  square  set  aside  for 
the  court  house,  brought  only  nominal  prices,  none  exceeding  ten  dollars. 

EARLY    MERCH.'WTS. 

Several  cabins  had  been  built  in  and  around  Greencastle  before  it  wa- 
platted  into  lots,  but  the  first  building  in  the  business  part  was  erected  b\ 
Pleasant  S.  Wilson.  It  was  on  the  west  side  of  the  public  square.     .-Vcconl- 
ing  to  a  former  historian.  Joseph  Thornburg  had  sold  some  goods  in  a  small 
wav.  but  the  first  real  store,  so-called,  was  opened  up  in  a  building  on  the 
north  side  of  the  public  s(|uare  by   Gen.  Joseph  Orr.   who  had  first  come 
into  the  community  as  a  peddler.      Orr   was  a   very   progressive   man   and 
full  of  public  spirit.     His  title  of  General  came   from  his  connection   with 
the  militia.     He  continued  in  business  from  1823  till  1835.  when  he  removed 
to  LaPorte  county,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in    1879.     .\nother  mer- 
chant equally  vigorous  and  enterprising  was  Lewis  H.  Sands,  who  opened 
a  store  on  the  lot  adjoining  Orr's  on  the  east.     It  is  said  that  he  brought 
his  stock  of  goods  in  a  one-horse  carry-all  from  Louisville.    He  continued  in 
business  for  many  years  and  died  in  May.  1861,  having  lived  to  see  Green- 
castle  develop  from  a  group  of  log  cabins  in  the  wilderness  to  one  of  the 
thriving  and  representative  county  seats  in  central  Indiana.     He  was  born 
in  Baltimore.  Januarv  r,  1805,  and  had  had  some  experience  trading  with  the 
Indians  at   Ft.    Harrison  and  along  the  Wabash  before  settling  in   Putnam 
county. 

WILLIAM    IL   THOR.\'BL-RGH. 

Before  passing  from  the  subject  of  the  early  merchants  of  Greencastle. 
although  not  in  proper  chronological  order,  we  venture  to  note  the  name 
of  William   H.   Thornburgh,   without  a  record  of  whose  career  no  history 


PLTNAM     COL'NTY,    IXDIAXA.  39 

(jt  Putnam  cuunt_\  could  be  called  complete.  Xo  man  ever  lived  uliu  labored 
more  zealously  and  accomplished  more  for  the  prosperity  and  well-being 
of  the  community  and  the  memory  of  no  other  person  identitieil  with  the 
de\e!opment  ^)f  the  county  is  more  deserving  of  perpetuation.  A  native  of 
Wasiiingtmi  county,  \'irginia.  where  he  was  bom  February  3.  1804,  he 
drifted  to  Putnam  county  in  the  fall  of  1824.  his  first  employment  here 
being  teaching  scIk^oI  for  a  brief  time  in  the  country  west  of  I ireencastle. 
Prior  to  his  reuKnal  to  Indiana  he  had.  although  cpiite  young,  been  captain 
nf  a  steamboat  plying  between  Xashville  and  Xew  Orleans.  After  the 
death  nf  hi.',  wife,  he  returned  to  the  river,  becoming  captain  of  a  steamer  in 
the  Liinis\ille  an<!  Xew  (Jrleans  trade,  but  in  1S30  he  was.  back  in  Green- 
castle  again  where  he  Sdon  went  into  the  mercantile  busuiess.  In  1835  he 
erected  a  bnck  building  on  the  corner  oi  Washington  and  Indiana  streets, 
the  first  of  it>  kind  in  the  town.  He  was  a  leading  and  niduential  member 
of  the  Methodist  church  and  took  an  actix'e  part  in  the  erection  of  the  church 
building  on  the  corner  of  Indiana  and  Poplar  street^,  to  which  he  contribut- 
ed b(jth  time  and  mi.mew  a>.  also,  he  did  at  a  later  date  for  the  erection 
of  Rol>ert>  Chapel.  Imleed.  theie  is  [jerhap>  no  ciun-ch  in  the  city  t<j  which 
he  did  not  c<jntribute.  In  1858  he  built  the  largest  edifice  in  town,  known 
a:-  the  ThornI)urgh  I)lock.  on  the  west  side  of  the  public  s<(uare.  which  was 
an  enterprise  of  wnnderful  magnitude,  foi'  that  day  and  well  wortiiv  the 
admiration  and  enconu'ums  it  called  forth.  He  also  built,  at  the  corner  of 
I'ranklin  and  Locust  streets,  a  residence  which  in  grandeur  anil  magnificent 
pro[)ortions  far  surpassed  anything  of  its  kind  in  the  county.  He  was  one  of 
the  original  stockholders  and  early  pr(.)moters  of  the  Terre  Haute  &  Richrnond 
(now  the  \'andalia)  railroad.  de\oting  much  time  in  seciu'ing  the  rei[uisito 
amount  of  >tock  in  his  count}-.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  trustees  (jf  Asbury 
I'niversit}".  continuing  as  such  with  two  brief  intermissions  fn,m  1837  to 
i8r)o  and  acting  as  president  of  the  board  iuv  four  years.  On  e\ery  occa- 
sion he  lent  his  inlluence  and  energv  to  the  great  enterpi'ises  which  were 
to  be  for  the  public  good  and  such  as  would  de\'elop  the  industries  ant!  en- 
rich the  uhijle  countiy.  Possessing  the  first  money  .safe  in  the  county,  Cap- 
tain Thornburgh's  store  became,  in  effect,  a  bank  of  deposit,  where  S|jeculators, 
merchants  and  farmers  alike  found  a  secure  place  of  keeping  their  surplus 
funds.  "We  <jf  the  present  da_\-."  observes  <jne  who  knew  him  well,  "wirh 
our  banks  and  multiplied  facilities  of  communication,  cannot  estimate  tlie 
\alue  of  such  a  man  nor  can  we  fully  appreciate  the  amount  of  confidence 
which,  without  deposited  security,  C(nild  intrust  so  much  for  safe-keeping, 
a-^sured   of   its   [jronipt   return    when   demanded."    His  career  as   a   merchant 


40 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


covers  a  space  of  thirty-one  years — the  hfe  of  a  generation.  He  died  Octo- 
ber 26,  1876.  A  pubhc  meeting,  presided  over  by  the  mayor  of  Greencastle, 
was  held  at  the  court  house  to  arrange  for  his  funeral  and  appropriate  reso- 
lutions expressing  sorrow  for  his  death  and  respect  for  his  memory  were 
adopted. 

One  of  the  unfortunate  things  in  Captain  Thornburgh's  life,  after  his 
many  rears  of  commercial  success,  was  a  series  of  business  reverses  to  which 
he  was  forced  to  yield  early  in  1861.  He  suffered  so  keenly  from  chagrin 
and  remorse  that  he  issued  a  statement  to  the  public  through  the  columns  of  a 
local  paper,  which  has  in  it  so  much  of  real  pathos  and  evinces  a  spirit  of 
pride  and  honor  so  sensitive  and  so  unusual  in  these  latter  days  of  com- 
mercial indifference  to  public  opinion,  it  will  not  be  without  its  lesson  to 
reproduce  it  here.  Under  date  of  March  21.  1861.  in  the  Putnam  County 
Banner,  he  said ; 
'To  My  Friends  and  Fellow  Citizens : 

"It  becomes  my  painful  duty  to  appear  before  you  through  this  medium 
and  announce  to  you  that  circumstances  are  and  have  been  such  as  to  re- 
quire the  withdrawal  of  my  name  from  the  list  of  merchants.  I  have  been 
for  over  thirty  years  among  you  in  that  capacity,  during  which  time  I  have 
enjoyed  the  patronage  of  many  among  you  and  the  confidence  embracing  a 
wide  range,  which  confidence  it  was  my  pleasure  so  to  demean  myself  as 
to  in  some  measure  justly  merit.  I  have  during  that  time  passed  through 
manv  financial  storms  and  had  successfully  weathered  them  all  till  now  by 
a  train  of  circumstances  known  to  most  of  you  through  the  advice  of  able 
financiers  and  men  of  unquestioned  veracity  and  wealth  I  have  taken  the 
course  now  known  to  most  of  you — that  of  retirement  from  the  busy  bustle 
of  that  long-cherished  occupation  which  it  has  been  my  pleasure  to  pursue. 
In  taking  this,  mv  leave,  it  is  not  without  the  deepest  feelings  of  obligation 
to  mv  creditors  and  numerous  customers  who,  on  the  one  hand,  freely  sought 
mv  custom  and  sold  me  goods  at  fair  prices  and  dealt  with  me  so  kindly, 
which  naturallv  engendered  high  social  feelings,  which  I  have  always  prized 
so  highlv  and  which  were  so  reciprocal.  To  such  I  shall  ever  feel  the  deepest 
weight  of  obligation  as  long  as  life  endures.  To  my  patrons  and  friends 
here  accejit  this  humble  tribute  of  gratitude  to  you  for  your  liberal  and 
confiding  jiatronage.  During  the  last  thirty  years  we  have  greeted  each 
otlier  and  enjoved  manv  pleasant  hours  which  I  shall  ever  kindly  remember. 

"In  ta'sing  mv  leave  of  vou  as  a  merchant,  please  receive  my  thanks 
for  vour  patronage  and  confidence  and  I  hope  in  my  future  I  shall  do  noth- 
ing to  counteract  the  g<ji.)d  (tpiniun  you  have  been  pleased  to  feel  and  express. 


PCTNAM     COLNTY,    INDIANA.  41 

Life  is  one  changing  scene  and  its  revolutions  I  have,  with  many  before 
nie.  felt  and  feel  its  heavy  shaft,  but  amid  all  its  storms  will  try  to  pass 
the  waves  as  to  ultimately  outride  them  all  and  seek  my  final  port  in  safety, 

"Most  respectfully, 

■■\V.  H,  Thornburgh." 

The  fact  that  our  pioneer  merchants  demonstrated  such  enterprise  and 
brought  hither,  so  early,  such  liberal  assortments  of  goods  indicates  a  rapidly 
growing  population.  We  may  naturally,  therefore,  expect  to  find  among  them 
the  representatives  of  the  various  trades,  occupations  and  professions  that 
are  essential  to  the  success  of  any  community.  The  first  physician  to  ar- 
ri\e  on  the  scene  was  Dr,  Enos  Lowe.  He  reached  the  new  settlement  about 
1823  and  served  the  people  for  many  miles  around.  Three  years  later  Dr. 
L.  M.  Knight  and  Dr.  A.  C.  Stevenson,  both  Kentuckians,  joined  the  com- 
munity and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  their  profession.  The  first  blacksmith 
was  Jesse  Twigg  and  the  first  cabinet  shop  was  opened  by  John  S.  Jennings, 
who  strayed  into  the  town  from  Tennessee,  William  K.  Cooper  was  the 
first  saddler  and  Reuben  Clearwaters  the  first  preacher — a  Methodist.  An 
important  industry  of  that  day  was  milling.  To  prepare  the  grain  for  food 
required  mills.  We  have  already  seen  that  two  mills  had  been  erected  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Forks,— Webster's  and  Croy's — but  very  soon  after, 
in  fact  by  the  spring  of  1822,  James  Trotter  had  a  grist  and  saw-mill  in 
operation  a  short  distance  north  of  Greencastle  on  Walnut  creek.  During  that 
same  year  and  the  year  following  other  mills  farther  north  in  the  country 
were  erected,  whose  names,  Fiddler's,  Swank's,  Beck's.  Kelso's  and  Suther- 
lin's,  will  suggest  to  the  early  residents  their  proper  location.  Already  the 
hum  of  their  primitive  machinery  could  be  heard  echoing  through  the  hills 
and  along  the  banks  of  Deer,  Mill,  Little  and  Big  Walnut,  Ramp,  Raccoon 
and  all  the  other  creeks  in  the  county. 

In  Greencastle.  on  the  comer  of  Water  and  Washington  streets,  Gen. 
John  Standeford,  about  the  year  182'').  set  up  a  wool-carding  machine,  pro- 
pelled bv  horse  pi^wer.  and  for  years  carded  the  wool  in  this  and  even  in  some 
of  the  adjoining  counties.  The  machinery  was  bought  in  Louisville  and 
hauled  through  to  Greencastle  in  a  wagon.  The  factor}-  had  a  capacity  of  about 
one  hundred  and  fift\-  rolls  per  day  and  yielded  its  owner  profitable  returns. 
Weaving  was  d(jiie  on  hand  looms  by  the  women  at  home.  It  is  said  by  Gil- 
lum  Ridpath.  who  was  bom  in  Marion  township,  that  "the  first  fly-shuttle 
lonni  in  the  county  and.  in  all  probability,  the  first  between  the  Wabash  and 
White  rivers,  was  invented  and  built  by  John  Heavin,  in  Montgomery  coun- 
ty,  Virginia,   and    was   brought   to   Putnam   county   in   the   year    1S27." 


42 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


LITTLE    USE    FOR    CURRENCY. 


Owing  u>  the  limited  amount  in  circulation,  but  little  money  was  used 
in  local  business.  Much  of  the  trading  was  the  exchange  of  one  commodity 
for  another.  At  a  meeting  of  the  I'utnam  County  Historical  Society,  several 
years  ago,  the  late  J.  R.  M.  Allen  related  his  first  commercial  experience  in 
Greenca.stle.  He  had  just  set  up  as  a  tailor  and  was  making  a  purchase  at 
the  store  of  James  Talbott,  a  merchant  of  several  years'  standing,  offermg 
currency  in  payment  for  the  goods  he  bought.  Mr.  Talbott,  noting  that  he 
was  new  to  the  customs  of  the  place,  adniunished  him  ihat  UK^ney  was  un- 
necessary in  local  business;  that  people  in  the  new  community,  especially 
business  men  in  dealing  among  themselves,  made  their  exchanges  in  gO(ids. 
"Xow."  said  Talbott,  "I  shall  need  something  in  your  line  pretty  soon  and 
when  I  do  I  shall  expect  you  to  accept  in  payment  such  goods  as  you  ma\ 
see  fit  to  purchase  of  me.  In  that  way  we  can  cany  tm  our  transactions 
until  some  future  time  uhen  a  settlement  is  desirable  and  then  the  net 
balance  due  can,  if  necessan.-,  be  paid  in  money.""  .Mr.  .Mien,  realizing  that 
such  was  the  custom  of  the  community,  was  forced  to  comply.  He  related 
that  for  years  he  and  Talbott  continued  thus  to  carry  on  business  between 
them  without  in  all  that  time  coming  to  a  settlement.  iMually  wiien  Talbott's 
health  began  to  give  way  and  he  realized  that  he  must  gi\e  up  all  business, 
he  called  on  Mr.  .Allen  with  his  Iwjoks  to  make  the  long-deferred  final  set- 
tlement. "It  took  a  brief  time  to  add  up  the  figures,"  related  .\llen.  "There 
was  not  a  word  of  disagreement  between  us.  The  entire  interview  was  not 
only  satisfactory,  but  pleasant,  and  when  the  balance  wa--  struck  it  took  les- 
than  three  dollars  in  money  to  pay   it." 

E.\RLY-n.\V    V.\LUES. 

It  is  more  or  less  refreshing  in  these  days  of  so-called  commercial  and 
industrial  prosperity  at  e.xtravagant  prices  to  read  the  values  our  forefathers 
put  upon  their  labor  and  domestic  products.  Following  are  C(>{)ies  of  tw<i 
documents  found  in  the  records  of  the  county  clerk's  office  which  are  inter- 
esting, not  only  as  illustrating  comparative  values  of  every-day  commodities, 
but  the  character  of  items  of  exchange  between  neighbors.  Tlie  first  i)a])er 
was  filed  in   1824;  the  other  in  1827: 

"William  McBride  Dr.  to  John  PTazer 

"to  the  half  of  a  Hog S2.0C 

"to  52  lbs  Bacon 4- '  '^^ 

"to  work  bv  l.izey  a  nursing  your  wife i.OO 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  43 

"to  w easing i.oo 

"to  3  deer  skins 2.00 

"to  I  gallon  &  5  pints  whisky 0.87 

"to  ( ioing  to  greencastle 0.75 

"to   Medison    '. 0.37 

"to  J  Juggs o.-^ 

"to  2  Cushiils  corn 0.50 

"to  0  tins  full  of  salt o.  iS 

"to  \\agg(:in  tonge  &  Houns.  ■. 300 

"t(:)  hijrse  a  going  arends i.OO 

"t(3  \'ennison  Hams 2.00 

"to  Lizey  a  washing 0.37 

"to  haling  i^ork  from  huffnians O-SO 

"ti '  [  shott  pouch 0.25 

"to  1   peck  Sweat  pertatose 0.25" 

"george  Howlet  Debtor  tn  Darnal)a>  frakes 

"to  one  Cub  bare 3.00 

"to  washing  3  months  in  1S24  at  3  ^hilling^  a  ni(.)nth  4.50 

"to  hording  for  3  two  months  in  1824 6.00 

"to  \\c;rk  fifteen  days  in   1824 7-5c) 

"to  flaxseed  i   Bushal  in  1825 i.OO 

"to  work  8  dax's  in  1825 4.00 

"to  three  Bushals  of  corn  at  janies  in   1824 0.75 

"to  Corn  (jne  barrel  at  my  H(.)us 1.75 

"to  sawing  (3ne  Dav  at  the  cros  Cut  Saw 0.50 

"to  three  i)ints  of  Whisky  in  1826 o.  18 

■'to  fisick  7  Doases  at  tweTit\-fi\e  cents  a  Doase.  .  .  1.75 

"to  hi^ghunting  One  Day 0.50" 

COMMERCIAL    CI'STOMS. 

An  idea  of  commercial  conditions  in  dreencastle  and  the  primitive  meth- 
ods <ji  business  then  in  vogue  may  be  obtained  from  a  document  prepared  tcj 
be  read  before  the  I'utnam  Count}-  Historical  Societ)'  se\eral  years  ago  b\- 
James  'ra}lor,  one  of  the  old-time  merchants  then  living,  whose  business  ca- 
reer extended  oxer  a  long  and  interesting  period  of  the  county's  historv. 
Among  other  things  he  said:  "As  far  back  as  1838  the  following  drv  goods 
merchants  were  in  business  in  ( ireencastle :  W.  H.  Thornburgh.  William 
r.ee.  Allison  iS:   R.ibinson.  David  Kagan.   M.  T.   13ridges.   W.    [.   Rider.   L.    H. 


44  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

Sands.  Josepli  Lucas,  Isaac  Ash.  Standeford,  Sigler  &  Co.,  Proctor,  Daggy  & 
Landes.  Reese  Hardest}',  Silas  Jones,  James  Talbott,  Thomas  E.  Tal- 
bott,  W.  K.  Cooper.  George  \V.  Thompson  and  Granville  Holland.  Thus, 
it  will  Ije  seen  that  at  the  time  there  were  twenty  dry  goods  houses  in  Green- 
castle.  Or  they  might  more  properly  be  termed  general  stores,  for  in  those 
days  what  was  tenned  a  dry  goods  merchant  supplied  the  people  with  all 
their  wants.  An  active,  energetic  salesman,  when  business  was  brisk,  would 
be  able  to  furnish  in  the  course  of  one  day  to  a  customer  or  customers  a  silk 
dress  pattern,  a  bolt  of  muslin,  a  lady's  bonnet,  fashionably  trimmed,  a  pair 
of  boots,  a  suit  of  clothes,  a  silk  hat.  sugar,  coffee,  spice,  pepper,  a  shovel,  a 
spade,  a  tin  bucket,  a  coffee-pot,  a  grindstone,  ten  pounds  of  sausage,  fifty 
pounds  of  home-made  soap  and  a  quarter  of  beef. 

"Beginning  with  the  year  1850.  many  have  been  engaged  in  the  dry 
goods  business  who  have  since  retired  from  the  field,  some  of  whom  are  as 
follows :  D.  L.  Southard,  C.  W.  Talburt,  McC.  Hartley,  Lucien  Lemon, 
with  his  four-horse  store.  Miller  &  Jones,  Stevenson  &  Gillespie,  G.  H.  Wil- 
liamson. L  Hawkins,  Sloan  &  Fordyce.  Alfred  Hays,  A.  L.  Morrison,  G.  W. 
Corwin.  Theodore  Bowman.  Paris  &  Turner,  Joseph  Crow,  L.  H.  Sands, 
Thomburgh  &  Robinson,  Taylor  &  Ames  and  T.  W.  Williamson.  From 
1838  up  to  about  1854  the  number  of  dry  goods  stores  in  the  city  continued 
about  the  same,  when  they  were  met  by  competition  by  the  introduction  of 
familv  groceries,  hardware  stores,  boot  and  shoe  establishments,  notion 
houses  with  fancv  goods  and  millinery  establishments,  until  dry  goods  stores 
have  reducetl  to  the  number  of  five  or  six. 

"In  former  vears  a  man  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business  did  not  lie  on 
fiowerv  beds  of  ease  bv  any  means.  ?klany  supposed  that  where  a  number  of 
salesmen  were  engaged  in  selling  the  goods  the  proprietor  had  nothing  else 
to  do  but  lie  upon  the  counter  and  rest  his  head  on  a  bolt  of  muslin.  That, 
however,  is  a  great  mistake.  To  succeed  in  the  business  requires  a  constant 
laborious  struggle;  and  even  then  success  seldom  follows. 

"It  would  be  a  difficult  matter  to  describe  the  manner  of  conducting 
business  in  the  earlier  years  without  giving  in  part  my  own  experience,  as  I 
could  know  but  little  about  the  private  affairs  of  others;  and  in  order  to  do 
that  I  shall  begin  with  the  firm  of  Taylor  &  Beasley.  They  bought  a  stock 
of  goods  on  a  credit  of  six  months'  time  with  the  privilege  of  twelve  by 
paving  interest  after  the  expiration  of  the  first  six  months.  After  receiving 
the  goods,  thev  had  no  place  to  store  them  and  they  bought,  also  on  credit, 
an  old  frame  dwelling  on  the  south  side  of  the  public  square  that  had  a 
fifteen-foot  square  room  in  it.  that  had  been  used  for  a  tin  shop.     A  few 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  45 

boards  were  hastily  put  up  for  shelves  and  thereupon  the  goods  were  placed. 
It  looked  very  discouraging  even  in  those  days  to  commence  a  business  with 
a  display  that  w  as  made  in  such  a  room.  Indeed  the  prospect  for  trade  looked 
so  discouraging  that  in  a  very  few  months  Mr.  Beasley  retired  from  the  busi- 
ness and  went  north  to  his  farm,  leaving  the  burden  of  the  debts  which  had 
been  contracted  wholly  upon  myself,  with  nothing  with  which  to  liquidate 
them  except  the  goods;  but  by  a  little  indulgence  from  my  creditors  I  man- 
aged to  pull  through.  In  referring  to  my  own  extreme  effort  to  make  a 
success  of  the  business.  I  have  no  doubt  that  I  am  but  one  of  many  others 
who  might  gi\e  a  similar  experience.  I  worried  along  for  a  time  and  ex- 
changed goods  for  lumber  and  work,  both  of  which  at  that  time  were  cheap, 
and  had  two  rooms  fitted  up  in  the  old  frame,  each  thirteen  l)v  thirtv-five 
feet :  and  they  w  ere  ipiite  respectable  for  that  day.  I  rented  one  of  them 
soon  after  and  occupied  the  other  for  a  short  time  for  dry  goods.  I  also 
rented  the  upper  room;  and  the  rents  \\hich  I  received  for  about  twentv- 
fi\e  years  on  those  three  rooms  paid  at  least  forty  per  cent  on  the  original 
investment  in  the  property.  I  think  the  general  custom  was  in  those  davs  for 
the  retailer  to  buy  his  goods  on  six  or  twelve  months"  time  and  the  custom 
was  to  sell  them  on  credit  from  one  Christmas  to  another:  but  goods  were 
then  sold  by  wholesale  and  retail  merchants  at  much  better  profits  than  thev 
are  at  present.  There  were  three  flouring  mills  tliat  furnished  me  with  flour 
to  sell  on  commission,  which  was  quite  a  help  to  my  business;  for  I  furnished 
nearly  all  the  flour  consumed  in  the  city  for  several  years,  selling  from  a 
hundred  to  a  hundred  and  fifty  barrels  per  month,  at  prices  ranging  from 
three  dollars  up  to  fifteen  dollars  per  barrel.  When  the  Monon  railroad  was 
being  constructed  through  Greencastle  an  Irishman  had  a  contract  for  a  sec- 
tion between  this  city  and  Bainbridge.  I  furnished  him  and  his  workmen 
dry  goods,  flour  and  other  provisions  on  credit,  to  the  amount  of  a  thousand 
dollars.  When  pa\--day  came  around  he  had  no  money  to  pav  me.  but  had  rail- 
road stock,  and  it  being  all  I  could  get  I  had  to  take  that  or  nothing.  I  felt 
that  I  was  ruined;  but  fortunately  for  nie,  a  few  days  after  getting  the  stock 
a  gentleman  called  at  the  store  and  stated  that  he  understood  I  had  some 
railroad  stock  for  sale.  T  said  I  had.  and  sold  it  to  him  for  a  thousand  dol- 
lars in  cash.  Whether  he  sacrificed  his  thousand  dollars  or  not  I  never  knew ; 
but  I  do  know  that  in  a  \ery  short  time  afterwards  the  stock  was  entirelv 
worthless. 

"It  is  but  little  wonder  that  so  many  merchants  in  fomier  years  failed 
to  make  their  business  successful.  Both  merchant  and  customer  had  a  hard 
struggle.  It  was  fre(|uently  the  case  that  a  customer  would  run  a  bill  from 
one  Christmas  t(;)  another  and  then  execute  his  note  to  run  another  vear.  not 


46  weik's  history  of 

necessarily  from  any  dishonest  moti\-e.  but  because  it  was  impossible  lor  him 
to  get  the  money.  Dr\-  goods  were  exceedingly  high  compared  with  present 
prices,  and  the  products  of  the  farm  very  low.  Staple  goods  such  as  shirting, 
sheeting  and  prints  were  worth  from  twenty-tive  to  thirty-seven  and  one-half 
cents  per  yard  and  other  goods  were  proportionately  high.  The  average 
price  of  eggs  the  vear  round  was  about  three  cents  a  dozen;  that  of  butter 
six  and  one-fourth  cents:  bacon,  two  and  one-half  to  three  cents  a  pound.  I 
well  remember,  when  a  boy.  of  taking  from  my  father's  farm  thirty  bushels 
of  thrashed  oats  ten  miles  to  the  county  seat.  I  made  an  extra  effort  to  sell 
it  for  monev,  but  utterly  failed  and  finally,  through  sympathy  for  me,  a  mer- 
chant offered  me  ten  cents  a  bushel  if  I  would  take  the  pay  in  goods.  I  ac- 
cepted his  offer  and  exchanged  the  load  for  a  three-dollar  hat,  which  I  could 
now  buy  at  half  the  price  or  less." 

F.\CTS   OF   INTEREST. 

Owing  to  the  brief  and  fragmentary  records  that  have,  thus  far.  been 
preserved,  it  will  be  necessary,  in  many  cases,  to  accept  the  traditions  that 
have  come  down  to  us  regarding  the  settlement,  organization,  social  and  com- 
mercial development  and  other  essential  facts  that  go  to  make  up  the  history  of 
our  county.  There  were  no  statisticians  in  the  days  of  our  forefathers,  no 
pubhc  officials  to  secure  and  record  information  and  nobody  kept  a  dian'. 
Hence  for  manv  things  we  relate  we  can  give  no  authority  beyond  the  recol- 
lection of  some  early  settler. 

So  far  as  can  be  determined,  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  county  was 
Marv  Jane  McGaughey,  the  daughter  of  Arthur  McGaughey.  the  first  county 
clerk.  She  first  saw  the  light  of  day  February  10.  1822.  John  Rawley.  the 
first  native  of  Greencastle,  was  born  in  a  log  cabin  near  the  public  spring, 
March  2;,  1822.  His  son  John  is  now  judge  of  the  Putnam  circuit  court. 
The  first  death  in  the  county  occurred  at  Trotter's  mill,  north  of  Greencastle. 
A  man  named  Dennis,  the  millwright,  died  late  in  1821,  before  the  county 
was  organized,  and  was  buried  near  the  mill.  Somewhat  later  a  man  who 
was  a  stranger  in  .the  community  died  within  the  northern  limits  of  Green- 
castle and  was  buried  in  what  was  afterwards  Jacob  Daggy's  orchard.  The 
next  death  in  Greencastle  was  that  of  Benjamin  Akers.  who  died  about  1825 
and  whose  bod\-  was  the  first  to  be  buried  in  what  is  now  known  as  the  Old 
Cemetery. 

The  first  ta\ern  or  public  house  was  kept  by  Jubal  Deweese  in  a  log 
structure  in  the  middle  of  the  block  on  the  west  side  of  the  public  .square. 


PUTNAM    COLXTV,    INDIANA.  47 

One  ot  the  rooms  must  have  been  more  or  less  commodious,  for  several  terms 
of  the  circuit  court  were  held  in  it  between  1824  and  i8j6. 

The  first  school  in  the  county  was  begun  in  1S23  and  was  between  Green- 
castle  and  the  Forks  of  Eel  and  about  seven  miles  southwest  of  the  former 
place.  The  first  school  in  Greencastle  was  taught  in  a  log  cabin  (jn  a  lot  near 
the  corner  of  Washington  and  Water  streets,  diagonally  across  from  Stande- 
ford's  wool-carding  factory.  Hiram  Stavens  and  Alfred  Burton  were  among 
the  first  teachers. 

The  first  marriage  was  that  of  Thomas  Jackson  to  Sarah  Wood.  The 
license  was  issued  Julv  4.  1S22.  but  the  ceremony  was  not  perfonned  till  the 
I  Sth  i>f  the  month.  The  officiating  clergyman  was  Reuben  Clearwaters. 
The  unusual  time  elapsing  between  the  date  of  the  license  and  the  cere- 
monv  is  probably  accounted  for  in  the  following  incident  which  was  related 
bv  Mr.  Jackson  himself;  "I  had  a  good  deal  of  trouble  in  getting  my  mar- 
riage license.  The  county  clerk  had  no  office  and  no  headciuarters  and  so  I 
had  to  run  ar(jund  over  the  county  in  search  of  him.  \\  hen  I  found  him  I 
found  his  office  t(jo.  for  it  was  in  his  hat.  From  inside  the  lining  he  pro- 
duce<l  a  paper  and  made  out  the  license.  1  got  a  preacher — Reuben  Clear- 
waters — to  marrv  us  and  we  at  once  went  t<i  housekeeping  in  a  log  cabin. 
.\])out  twij  weeks  afterward  the  preacher  came  to  me  in  the  woods,  where  I 
was  making  puncheons,  and  said  that  he  had  made  a  mistake  and  would 
have  to  maiM-v  us  (i\er  again.  1  was  very  well  satisfied  with  my  wife  and. 
without  asking  what  was  the  matter.  I  willingly  con.sented  and  went  to  the 
cabin  with  him  where  he  repeated  the  ceremony  and  I  went  back  to  my  work." 
Mr.  Jackson  ccjutinued  to  reside  in  the  county  till  his  death.  March  14.  1898. 
Had  he  lived  ten  weeks  li)nger  he  would  ha\e  attained  his  hundredth  vear. 

THE   FIR.ST  I'.l'X. 

\'er\-  early  the  [)eople  saw  the  need  of  military  protection  and  ere  long 
a  militia  company  was  f'omied.  The  story  oi  its  origin  and  the  incidents 
leading  thereto  is  stj  admirably  told  in  a  paper  entitled,  "The  First  Gun."  read 
bv  Tarvin  C.  ( irooms  before  the  Putnam  County  Hi.storical  Society  several 
years  ago  that  the  liberty  is  taken  to  reproduce  a  portion  of  it  here  as  follows  : 

■'I  am  glad  to  report  all  I  have  been  able  to  learn  about  the  famous  old 
cast-iron  si.\-pounder.  the  first  weapon  the  town  e\er  iiad,  and  which  has 
now  become  more  or  less  historic.  From  persons  who  have  lived  here  much 
longer  than  I.  we  learn  that  this  old  implement  of  warfare  was  brought  to 
the  county  by  the  militia  regiment  which  was  organized  here  in  the  early  davs 


48  weik's  history  of 

and  of  which  Gen.  Joseph  (^rr,  Gen.  John  Standeford.  Col.  Hiram  Miller, 
Colonel  Sigler  and  several  others  were  prominent  members.  Thomas  Wyatt 
savs  the  old  cannon  was  brought  from  Fort  Harrison  by  General  Orr  him- 
self; that  at  the  same  time  Orr  brought  some  old  guns  for  the  local  military 
company,  of  which  Jefferson  Walls  was  the  captain.  He  also  brought  some 
large  pistols  for  a  horse  company,  of  which  William  Bailey  was  captain. 
But  for  the  cannon.  One  old  citizen  says  that  he  remembers  it  very  well,  but 
fired  on  public  occasions.  In  1836,  when  the  internal  improvement  bill  was 
passed,  it  was  still  in  use  and  the  citizens  were  so  rejoiced  that  they  took  it 
that  it  was  much  neglected,  not  being  properly  housed,  and  was  invariably 
to  a  spot  of  high  ground  south  of  the  public  scjuare  and  west  of  the  old  col- 
lege on  Jackson  street  and  fired  it  off  in  the  direction  of  Putnamville,  be- 
tween which  place  and  Greencastle  there  had  been  much  rivalry  over  the  loca- 
tion of  the  countv  seat.  On  this  occasion  George  Thompson  lost  an  arm  and 
Doctor  Tarvin  Cowgill  was  injured  in  the  hand  by  a  premature  discharge. 
The  gun  was  frequently  hauled  out  and  fired  off,  whereupon  people  living  at 
a  distance  from  Greencastle,  hearing  the  sound,  would  immediately  drive  to 
town  to  learn  the  news.  On  one  occasion  Peter  Albaugh,  who  lived  near 
the  mouth  of  Little  Walnut,  heard  it  and  at  once  struck  out  for  Greencastle 
on  his  swiftest  nag  to  learn  what  was  up.  On  arri\-ing  he  found  a  group  of 
persons  standing  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  public  square,  among  whom 
he  observed  Washington  Walls,  Lewis  H.  Sands.  Daniel  Sigler,  Arthur  Mc- 
Gaughev  and  Dr.  W.  B.  Gwathney.  On  driving  towards  them  and  inquiring 
what  had  happened,  he  was  blandly  informed  that  one  of  their  most  distin- 
guished citizens  had  moved  out  of  town  that  day  and  they  had  simply  fired 
oft'  the  old  gun  as  a  manifestation  of  their  complete  satisfaction  and  approval. 
"On  the  Fourth  of  July,  1845,  in  connection  with  a  widely  advertised 
celeljration  of  Independence  Day,  the  people  were  asked  to  assemble  at  one 
o'clock,  the  notice  to  be  the  proper  signal  from  the  gun.  But  the  signal  never 
came  for  the  reason  that  at  davbreak  Frank  Hensley  and  \\'ashington  and 
Clinton  Walls,  together  with  several  other  young  men  in  town,  had  quietly 
drawn  the  old  gun  to  the  commons  southwest  of  the  public  square  and  im- 
mediatelv  south  of  the  residence  of  Judge  John  Cowgill,  who  then  lived  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  JMadison  and  Walnut  streets.  After  being  loaded 
with  copious  quantities  of  sod.  yellow  clay  and  other  like  substances,  it  was 
discharged,  but  alas !  it  w  as  the  last  salute  the  old  weapon  was  destined  ever 
to  fire!  Under  the  glorious  enthusiasm  of  the  day  it  had  exploded,  one  of 
the  pieces,  weighing  sixtv  pounds,  striking  the  home  of  Judge  Cowgill,  Xo- 
body  was  injured.  The  fragments  were  gathered  together  and  the  whole 
advertised   for  sale.     .\  man  named  Wolf,  who  had  been  operating  a  small 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  49 

foundry  on  the  west  side  of  town,  became  the  purchaser.  Later  Wolf 
changed  his  location  to  Albaugh's  mill,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  southwest  of 
town,  and  transferred  the  fragments  of  the  old  cannon  there.  One  day  he 
undertook  to  melt  the  latter,  but  without  success,  for  the  old  iron  became 
refractor}-  and  refused  to  melt.  One  of  the  largest  pieces  lay  about  the  old 
mill  for  years  and  was  finally  thrown  into  the  branch,  where,  covered  by  the 
gradual  deposits  of  earth  and  gravel,  it  will  sleep  undisturbed  until,  in  the 
distant  future,  some  vandal  antiquarian  shall  disinter  and  expose  it  as  a  relic 
of  prehistoric  times." 

TAVERNS   AND  PUBLIC   HOUSES. 

As  alreadv  noted  in  these  pages,  Jubal  Deweese  was  the  first  landlord 
in  Greencastle ;  but  he  was  ver}-  speedily  followed  b}'  John  F.  Seller,  who 
opened  up  a  ta\ern  or  public  house  in  a  cabin  on  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
public  square.  After  Jubal  Deweese.  on  the  west  side  of  the  square,  came 
Pleasant  S.  Wilson  on  the  same  lot.  while  about  the  same  period  Joseph  H. 
Lucas  and  Hudson  Brackney  held  forth  on  the  north  side.  In  1826  Elisha 
King  was  also  engaged  in  entertaining  travelers,  his  place  being  on  the  east 
side  of  Indiana  street,  between  Washington  and  W'alnut. 

"These  early  tavems,"  relates  Thomas  C.  Hammond,  who,  until  his  re- 
moval to  California  recently,  was  the  oldest  native-born  resident  of  Green- 
castle, "had  their  pretentious  names  such  as  Social  Hall,  Franklin  House, 
Washington  Hotel,  etc.,  and  usually  had  a  sign  post  twenty  or  thirtv  feet 
high  in  front  of  the  house  with  a  large  sign-board  bearing  the  name  or  some 
emblem  or  coat  of  arms,  as  the  proprietors  apparently  traced  their  origin 
back  to  ancestors  entitled  to  such  distinction.  John  Lynch,  one  of  the  best 
known  'landlords,'  as  the  proprietors  of  these  ta\'erns  were  usuallv  called, 
succeeded  to  the  good  will  of  the  house  kept  by  Pleasant  S.  Wilson  on  the 
west  side  of  the  public  square,  but  did  not  remain  there  long  until  he  had 
traded  some  land  he  owned  west  of  town  for  a  house  and  lot  on  the  east 
side  of  the  public  square  and  known  as  part  of  lot  ur.  In  this  last  location 
he  catered  to  the  public  as  proprietor  of  the  Washington  Hotel.  It  was 
known  as  a  place  where  a  Democrat  could  find  congenial  spirits.  I  don't 
mean  such  spirits  as  they  are  accused  of  calling  up  or  down,  but  those  of  the 
Jacksonian  style.  Colonel  Lynch,  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  was  a  great 
admirer  of  the  Sage  of  the  Hermitage,  and  indeed  by  many  was  thought  to 
resemble  him  in  appearance.  This  house  was  the  only  one  in  Greencastle 
pretentious  enough  to  ha\e  a  large  bell  to  ring  out  the  signal  for  meals.  The 
(4) 


5° 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


tones  (jf  this  bell,  I  have  no  doubt,  are  yet  remembered  by  many  of  the  older 
citizens.  The  bovs  of  the  town  used  to  intepret  them  to  say,  as  they  rang  out 
in  the  morning  air,  'Pig  tails  done!  Pig  tails  done!'  After. Colonel  Lynch  re- 
tired from  the  house  the  bell  was  sold  to  Washington  Walls,  who  established 
the  Putnam  House  in  the  year  1859,  on  the  lot  lying  at  the  northeast  corner 
of  Washington  and  Vine  streets.  The  last  ring  of  the  historic  bell  was  on 
the  night  of  the  great  fire  in  Greencastle,  October  28,  1874,  when  as  the  bel- 
fry of  the  old  Putnam  House  toppled  over  and  fell  into  the  seething  flames 
below,  the  bell  was  heard  to  say  for  the  last  time,  'Pig  tails  done!"  John 
tlanmiond  was  another  innkeeper,  having  succeeded  to  the  business  of 
Elisha  King  about  1826.  Hammond's  hmise  stood  where  the  Banner  ofiice  is, 
on  the  corner  of  Franklin  and  Vine  streets,  and  was  called  Soci_alJifll.l.  It 
was  noted  for  its  good  table  and  care  for  the  comfort  of  its  guests.  The  new 
proprietor  was  a  staunch-  Whig,  a  Republican,  and  an  Abolitionist  when  it 
was  thought  to  be  a  crime,  and  in  his  later  years  an  ardent  advocate  of  tem- 
perance. He  was  a  native  of  Maryland  and  left  that  state  because  of  his 
aversion  to  slavery.  James  Ricketts,  another  noted  member  of  the  craft 
and  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  occupied  a  house  on  the  west  side  of  the  public 
square,  but  about  the  year  1854  removed  to  the  lot  on  the  southwest  corner 
of  Vine  and  Washington  streets,  where  he  established  himself  and  called 
his  house  the  N^-tional  Hotel.  Here  he  held  forth  to  the  favor  and  satisfac- 
tion of  the  traveling  public  until  a  short  time  before  the  great  fire  of  1874. 

"I  have  only  mentioned  a  few  of  the  old-time  tavern-keepers,  although 
manv  others  have  for  short  periods  and  some  for  many  years  catered  to  the 
wants  of  the  traveling  public.  Among  them  I  might  mention  the  names  of 
James  Jones,  William  S.  Collier,  James  Matlock,  and,  in  more  recent  years. 
Scott  &  Woolrich.  Uncle  Jack  Jones,  who  for  a  great  number  of  years  kept 
the  house  now  known  as  the  Belknap,  then  as  the  Jones  House,  afterwards 
continued  the  Jones  House  on  the  comer  of  Walnut  and  Jackson  streets,  the 
location  now  occupied  by  the  Commercial  Hotel.  Uncle  Jack — John  F. 
Jones was  a  noted  character  and  justly  esteemed  one  of  the  popular  land- 
lords in  the  West. 

"The  early-day  taverns  were  rarely  ever  crowded,  although  they  had 
only  capacity  for  a  dozen  or  twenty  guests  each.  When  crowded,  often  two 
stran-^ers  were  forced  to  occupy  the  same  bed,  which  they  did  without  objec- 
tion, knowing  that  it  was  the  last  chance.  The  traveling  public  then  was 
composed  almost  entirely  of  persons  seeking  land  for  homes  or  speculation. 
It  was  not  long  until  they  were  followed  by  the  clock  and  dry-goods  peddlers. 
The  latter  were  generally  young  men   fresh  from  Germany,  almost  always 


PUTNAM    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  5I 

well  educated,  speaking  different  languages  fluently,  but  working  a  bad  stag- 
ger at  English.  It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  these  young  men  who  first  ap- 
peared here  with  a  pack  on  their  back  afterwards  became  the  proprietors  of 
large  establishments  in  Cincinnati  and  elsewhere.  It  furnishes  a  lesson  to 
the  young  men  of  the  country  of  what  can  be  accomplished  by  enterprise  and 
persistence. 

"I  have  seen  the  bar-room,  now  called  the  office,  of  one  of  these  taverns 
occupied  by  such  lawyers  as  Tilghman  A.  Howard,  William  P.  Bryant, 
Joseph  A.  Wright,  James  Whitcomb,  John  P.  Usher,  Elisha  M.  Huntington, 
John  Law,  Joseph  G.  Marshall,  Samuel  B.  Gookins,  Samuel  Judah,  Richard 
W.  Thompson  and  others  of  high  legal  attainments.  As  a  boy  I  have  sat 
entranced  by  the  harmonies  drawn  from  the  violin  in  the  hands  of  Whitcomb 
and  Howard,  both  of  whom  v.ere  excellent  performers. 

"The  country  inn  has  been  called  the  'temple  of  true  liberty.'  I  am 
impressed  with  the  truth  of  this  saying,  as  I  recall  the  big  front  room  in  my 
father's  tavern.  It  was  a  veritable  forum  where  public  opinion  was  con- 
stantly being  moulded  and  as  I  remember  the  wit  and  arguments  flashing 
from  one  to  another  of  the  above  group  while  debating  the  great  questions 
of  the  day,  I  often  ask  mvself,  'Shall  we  see  their  like  again?"  " 


CHAPTER  III. 

COURTS,   COURT   HOUSES  AND  THE   BAR. 

We  have  already  seen  that  the  law  authorizing  the  organization  of  Put- 
nam county  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  December  31,  1821.  Immediately 
thereafter  the  machinery  necessary  for  the  proper  conduct  and  man- 
agement of  the  country's  business  was  set  in  motion,  as  the  following  docu- 
ment will  show : 

"Jonathan  Jennings,  Governor  and  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  State 
of  Indiana : 

"To  the  Sheriff  of  Putnam  county,  Greeting: 

"You  are  hereby  required  and  commanded  to  cause  the  qualified  voters 
of  the  said  county  of  Putnam  to  meet  at  their  respective  places  of  holding 
elections  on  the  first  Monday  in  April  next  and  then  and  there  you  shall 
cause  an  election  to  he  holden  for  two  associate  judges,  one  clerk,  and  one 
recorder  and  three  county  commissioners  and  the  manner  of  your  return 
shall  be  in  conformity  to  law.  Given  from  under  my  hand  and  the  seal  of 
the  state  this  first  day  of  January,  1822. 

"Jonathan  Jennings. 
"By  the  Governor. 

"R.  A.  New." 

^Meanwhile,  on  March  7,  1822,  Jacob  Call  was  appointed  presiding  judge 
of  the  circuit  court.  Later  George  Kirkpatrick  and  Purnell  Chance  were 
elected  associate  judges  and  Arthur  McGaughey  clerk.  William  Mcintosh 
became  sheriff.  The  commission  of  the  latter,  signed  by  Governor  Jennings 
at  Corydon,  August  22,  1822,  and  sent  by  mail  to  Spencer,  the  county  seat 
of  Owen  countv,  with  instructions  to  forward  to  the  seat  of  government  in 
Putnam  county,  is  still  preserved  in  the  files  of  the  clerk's  ofifice. 

The  first  court  was  held  June  3,  1822.  but  the  record  of  its  proceedings 
is  so  faded  and  abraded  by  use  as  to  be  in  many  places  almost  entirely  illegible. 
From  what  is  left,  however,  we  gather  that  spreading  the  commissions  and 
oaths  of  the  associate  justices  of  record,  providing  for  a  seal  and  ordering 
grand  and  petit  juries  for  the  ensuing  term,  constituted  the  business  done  at 
thie  first  term  of  the  Putnam  circuit  court. 


PUTNAM     COUNTY,    INDIANA.  S3 

The  county  seat  not  having  been  estabhshed  and  no  suitable  building  in 
which  to  hold  court  having  been  erected,  the  next  term  was  held,  as  the  record 
discloses,  "at  the  home  of  James  Athey,"  which,  it  will  be  recalled,  stood  at 
or  near  the  Forks  of  Eel  river,  on  September  2,  1S22.  The  judges  were  all 
present  and  the  same  officers  of  the  court  as  before,  with  the  addition  of 
Samuel  Judah,  the  prosecuting  attorney.  The  grand  jury  was  impanelled 
and  duly  sworn.     As  nearly  as  their  names  can  be  deciphered  they  were 

Benjamin  Bell,  McCoy,  Abraham  Lewis,  Mathew  Cole,  Richard 

Moore,   Henr\'  Williams,   Ephraim  Dukes,  Joseph  Thomas,   William  Dole, 

•  Chance,  Luke  Dyer,  Sr.,  Isaac  Anderson  and  John  Stagg.     The 

first  license  or  permission  to  practice  law  was  issued  at  this  term  of  court. 
On  motion  of  Samuel  Judah,  Thomas  H.  Blake  and  James  Farrington  were 
admitted  and  sworn  as  attorneys.  Both  the  latter  were  from  Terre  Haute. 
Blake  was  a  native  of  Alaryland,  but  had  emigrated  to  the  West  soon  after 
the  war  of  1812,  settling  at  Terre  Haute,  where  he  was  prosecuting  attorney, 
circuit  judge,  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  representative  in  Congress  in 
succession.  President  John  Tyler  appointed  him  commissioner  of  the  general 
land  office,  after  which  he  became  president  of  the  Wabash  &  Erie  Canal 
Company.  He  died  November  28,  1829.  Mr.  Farrington  was  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Massachusetts,  and  set  out  for  the  West  about  the  time  he  had  attained 
his  majority,  arriving  at  Vincennes  in  1819,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  Within  three  years  he  had  removed  to  Terre  Haute,  where  he  located 
permanently  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  very  active  in 
establishing  the  Terre  Haute  branch  of  the  Indiana  State  Bank  and  for  a 
long  time  he  was  its  cashier.  He  represented  Vigo  county  in  both  branches 
of  the  Legislature  and  was  assessor  of  United  States  internal  revenue  for  the 
seventh  Indiana  district  from  1862  until  his  death,  October  8,  1869.  He  was 
a  conscientious  and  painstaking  lawyer  and  a  man  of  the  highest  clerical 
capacity,  as  his  briefs  and  written  pleadings  now  on  file  in  the  clerk's  office 
will  attest. 

EARLV    COURT    REC0RD.S. 

Two  civil  cases  transferred  from  Parke  county  were  the  first  of  their 
kind  to  engage  the  attention  of  the  court.  They  w-ere  entitled  John  Hamilton 
vs.  John  Collett  and  John  Hamilton  vs.  William  Blair  et  al,  and  are  suits 
for  damages  for  the  retention  of  a  drove  of  hogs.  The  plaintiff  was  rep- 
resented by  Blake  and  Farrington  and  the  defendant  by  Charles  Dewey. 
The  record  shows  that  the  case  of  Hamilton  vs.  Blair  was  tried  on  June  3, 


54 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


1823,  and  that  the  plaintiff  was  awarded  judgment.  The  following  consti- 
tuted the  jur^- :  Abraham  Lewis,  Noble  J.  Meyers,  David  Hurst,  John  Raw- 
ley,  Benjamin  Bell,  Richard  Moore,  E>avid  McCoy,  Elisha  Mullinix,  Isaac 
Matkins,  William  Craig  and  Israel  Linder.  The  name  of  the  twelfth  juror  is 
not  legible. 

Before  court  was  adjourned  for  the  term  the  following  allowances  were 
made :  James  Athey,  twelve  dollars  for  the  use  of  his  house  twelve  days  for 
court  purposes;  Robert  Cunningham,  two  dollars  for  room  for  grand  jury 
two  days ;  Cunningham  was  also  allowed  two  dollars  for  two  days'  service 
as  bailiff,  and  Justin  Goodrich,  one  dollar  for  a  like  service.  On  the  last 
day,  June  3,  1823,  it  was  ordered  that  "Court  adjourn  until  court  in  course 
to  meet  at  the  house  of  Isaiah  Wright  at  the  next  term." 

For  a  brief  period  and  until  the  spring  of  1825  the  record  is  alike  scant 
and  quite  incomplete,  but  from  the  pleadings  written  by  the  attorneys  and 
the  returns  of  the  court  oflficers  which  are  still  on  tile  we  learn  that  the  busi- 
ness of  the  courts  was  gradually  increasing  in  volume  and  importance.  Be- 
tween September,  1823,  and  the  summer  of  1824  the  meetings  of  the  court 
were  held  as  directed  in  the  residence  of  Isaiah  Wright,  whose  log  cabin  was 
not  far  distant  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Forks  of  Eel.  The  venire  of 
petit  jurors  for  the  fall  or  September  term,  1823.  shows  the  following  to 
have  been  summoned :  Abraham  Coleman,  Abraham  Lewis,  Noble  J.  Myers, 
Israel  Linder.  David  Hurst.  George  Legg.  Abraham  Leatherman,  Frederick 
Leatherman.  John  Oatman,  John  Reed.  Robert  McCain,  John  Rawley,  Joseph 
Patterson.  William  Craig,  Reuben  Clearwaters,  William  ^IcCray.  Elisha 
Mullinix,  John  Miller,  Amos  Robertson,  Benjamin  Bell.  Isaac  Matkins,  Rich- 
ard Moore,  David  McCoy  and  Isaac  Legg.  Those  selected  for  grand  jury 
service  at  the  same  time  were:  Thomas  Higgins,  Aaron  Harlan.  Samuel 
Arthur.  Elijah  Crawford.  Robert  Cunningham,  James  Kelso.  Charles  Hed- 
rick.  John  Colton.  Luke  Freeland.  David  Higgins.  Samuel  Chadd,  Ezekiel 
Hart.  John  Duncan.  Elisha  Hyatt.  Jacob  Clark.  Garrett  Gibson.  Jonathan 
Humphrevs.  Isaac  Bell.  Jubal  Deweese.  Joseph  Thornburgh  and  Mathew 
Cole. 

Meanwhile,  the  county  seat  question  having  been  settled,  the  judicial 
machinery  of  the  new  county  was  moved  to  Greencastle.  The  court  house 
not  vet  having  been  built,  the  sessions  of  court  were  held,  beginning  in  the 
fall  of  1824,  at  the  house  of  Jubal  Deweese,  a  log  cabin  on  the  west  side  of 
the  public  square,  where  Blake's  oi)€ra  house  now  stands.  In  May,  1826,  as 
appears  fmm  certain  records  in  the  clerk's  office,  court  was  held  also  in  the 
home  of  Joseph  Orr;  however,  it  is  supposed  a  court  house  was  built,  for. 
as  appears  by  the  record,  court  was  no  longer  held  in  private  buildings. 


PUTNAM     COUNTY,    INDIANA.  55 

The  character  and  volume  of  htigation  at  this  period  shu\vH  that  tlie 
people  were  somewhat  reluctant  to  call  on  the  courts  for  a  settlement  of  their 
disputes.  There  were  but  few  suits  on  notes,  less  for  enforcement  or  viola- 
tion of  contracts  and  never  a  personal  injury  or  damage  suit.  Criminal  ac- 
tions v.ere  equally  few  and  unimportant.  One  proceeding  of  frequent  oc- 
currence in  the  records  is  the  application  for  a  writ  ad  quod  daiiiuiun.  \  man 
desiring  to  erect  a  dam  across  the  stream  for  a  mill  would  apply  to  the  court 
for  the  prixilege.  whereupon  the  latter  would  direct  the  sheriff  to  summon 
■'twelve  tit  persons  in  the  bailiwick"  whose  duty  it  was  to  "examine  the  lands 
proposed  for  the  erection  of  said  dam  and  mills,  likewise  the  lands  above  and 
below  the  same,  the  property  of  other  persons  which  might  overflow  by  the 
erection  of  the  dam  to  the  height  required  and  to  say  what  damage  it  will 
be  to  the  several  properties,  and  whether  the  mansion  house  of  any  such 
proprietor  or  proprietors  or  the  curtilages,  orchards,  yards  or  gardens  of 
any  such  proprietors  will  be  injured  or  overflowed;  also  to  inquire  whether 
and  in  what  degree  fish  of  passage  or  ordinary  navigation  will  be  obstructed, 
whether  and  by  what  means  such  obstructions  may  be  prevented  and  whether 
in  their  opinion  the  health  of  the  neighbors  will  be  annoyed  by  the  stagnation 
of  the  water."  Usually  the  twelve  men  chosen  decided  in  the  applicant's 
fa\or  and  the  dam  was  promptly  built. 

Of  the  civil  actions,  as  often  happens  in  a  new  community,  many  were 
slander  suits.  One  of  the  earliest  was  William  M.  Blair  vs.  John  Hamilton, 
filed  in  Parke  county,  September  17.  1822,  and  transferred  to  the  Putnam 
circuit  court  for  trial.  In  this  instance  the  defendant  is  said  to  have  charged 
plaintiff  with  stealing  hogs.  .Another  filed  June  3.  1823.  entitled  Benjamin 
Johnson  vs.  John  Huffman,  charges  that  defendant  "in  the  presence  of  divers 
good  citizens  of  this  state  and  in  conversation  with  same,  in  a  loud  voice 
spoke,  uttered  and  published  these  false,  scandalous  and  malicious  words 
concerning  tiie  plaintiff:  'He  stole  indigo  and  d}ed  his  socks  with  it  and  I 
can  prove  it  '  "  .V  majoritv  of  the  criminal  actions  were  offenses  of  the  grade 
of  aft'rav  and  assault  and  batterv.  and  later  we  find  in  the  records  prosecu- 
tions now  and  then  for  selling  litjuor  unlawfully.  The  first  indictment 
was  returned  September  9,  1S22.  and  charged  that  Xathan  Parker,  late  of 
Tipt()n  townshi]).  in  the  county  of  Putnam,  on  "the  first  day  of  August  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen  hundred  and  twenty-tv.D.  with  force  antl  arms  at 
Longwaystown  in  the  county  of  Wabash  and  in  that  part  of  said  county  of 
Wabash  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  county  of  Putnam,  one  bay  mare  of  the 
value  of  thirty  dollars  did  feloniously  steal,  take  and  carr\'  away,  etc." 

The  complete  records,  which  are  missing  after  the  close  of  the  June  term, 


56 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


1823.  are  resumed  again  in  1825.  They  show  that  the  circuit  court  convened 
in  Greencastle  May  5,  1825,  with  John  R.  Porter  as  presiding  and  John  Smith 
and  John  Sigler  as  associate  judges.  John  Law  was  the  new  prosecuting  at- 
torney and  Robert  GHdeweil  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Among  the  proceed- 
ings at  this  tenn  was  the  indictment  of  Polly  Henry  for  perjury — being  the 
first  criminal  charge  against  a  woman — and  Silas  G.  Weeks  for  retailing 
liquor  in  violation  of  the  law.  At  the  October  term  of  that  year  the  same 
court  officers  were  present.  The  first  petition  by  an  administrator  to  sell  the 
lands  of  a  decedent  was  filed  at  this  temi,  and  related  to  the  sale  of  the  lands 
of  Thomas  James,  the  father  of  the  late  Stanfield  P  James.  The  elder  James 
wa.s  murdered  near  Cloverdale  by  an  insane  man  named  Robinson  who  slipped 
behind  him  and  shot  him  while  he  was  engaged  in  chopping  wood.  Robinson 
soon  after  committed  suicide  by  shooting  himself  in  the  head.  This  was  the 
first  murder  in  the  county.  At  this  term  James  Whitcomb,  afterward  Gov- 
enor  of  the  state,  appeared  as  attorney  for  the  plaintiff  in  the  suit  of  Storm 
vs.  Gibson. 

The  May  term,  1826,  was  held  at  the  house  of  Gen.  Joseph  Orr  in  Green- 
castle, with  the  same  judges  and  court  officers  present.  One  of  the  proceed- 
ings is  the  report  of  the  grand  jury  with  reference  to  the  jail.  The  body 
holds  "that  the  jail  of  the  county  is  insufficient,  that  it  needs  a  lock  to  each 
door  and  that  the  steps  of  the  same  need  fastening  to  the  wall."  The  report 
is  signed  In-  "Joseph  Jackson,  Foreman."  That  our  forefathers  also  had  a 
pure  food  law  is  shown  by  a  proceeding  in  court  at  this  term,  wherein  Noah 
H.  Drewry  was  tried  for  selling  unwholesome  provisions.  This  term  of 
court  is  also  noteworthy  in  that  it  contains  the  record  of  the  first  divorce 
suit.  Charity  Mullini-x  vs.  Elisha  Mullinix.  At  the  following  temi  in  October, 
Henrv  Secrest,  destinecl  to  be  one  of  the  greatest  lawyers  in  this  part  of  In- 
diana, was  admitted  to  the  bar.  At  the  May  term  in  1827  Joseph  F.  Farley 
was  admitted  to  the  Ijar.  Arthur  Mahorney  was  the  first  man  tried  for  gamb- 
ling and  Lewis  H.  Sands  and  Henry  Secrest  for  sending  and  accepting  a 
challenge  to  fight  a  duel.  Of  the  latter  charge  Sands  and  Secrest  were  ac- 
quitted, but  were  convicted  on  the  charge  of  canying  concealed  weapons. 
At  the  October  term.  1827.  John  M.  Purcell  was  tried  and  convicted  on  the 
charge  of  vagrancy.  He  was  fined  and  hired  out  for  a  month,  the  proceeds 
of  his  labor  being  applied  towards  the  payment  of  the  fine  and  his  support. 
In  1828  Sigier  and  Smith  gave  way  as  associate  judges  to  David  Deweese 
and  William  Elrod.  William  McLitosh  was  still  sheriff  and  Arthur  Mc- 
Gaughey  clerk  and  John  Law  prosecuting  attorney.  The  record  of  the  May 
term.  1830.  shows  that  John  Law  had  meanwhile  been  promoted  to  presiding 


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PfTNAM     C(.)UNTY,    INDIANA.  57 

judge  of  the  '"se\enth  judicial  circuit."  Tlie  following  order  appears  in  the 
record  of  this  term :  "Ordered  by  the  court,  that  the  following  space  of  land 
be  and  the  same  is  hereby  laid  off  and  designated  by  the  following  metes  and 
bounds,  around  the  county  jail,  as  and  to  be  called  and  termed  Prison  Bounds 
for  said  countv.  to  wit ;  Beginning  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  town  of 
("ireencastle  in  said  county,  thence  south  to  Poplar  street,  in  said  town,  thence 
east  to  Water  street,  thence  north  to  the  northern  boundary  of  said  town  to 
Liberty  street,  thence  west  to  the  place  of  beginning;  such  bounds  to  include 
the  space  covered  by  the  several  roads  or  streets  as  bounding  such  space  as 
aforesaid."  The  October.  1831.  term  was  presided  over  by  George  W. 
Johnston,  Judge  John  Law  having  meanwhile  resigned. 

At  the  April  term,  1832,  Amory  Kinney  became  presiding  judge  and  so 
continued  till  the  fall  of  1836.  Shortly  before  this.  Associate  Judge  Deweese 
gave  way  to  James  Rankin.  Li  May.  1837,  Elisha  AL  Huntington  appeared 
with  the  commission  of  presiding  judge  and  served  as  such  until  the  May  term, 
1 84 1.  He  was  followed  by  William  P.  Bryant,  who  for  the  ensuing  three 
years  occupied  the  bench,  the  last  year  having  as  his  associates  George  Pearcy 
and  [Moses  T.  Bridges.  In  1844  Judge  Law  returned  to  the  bench  and  served 
till  November,  1849.  Robert  N.  Allen  having  in  the  meantime  succeeded 
George  Pearcy  as  associate  judge.  Judge  Law  having  resigned,  was  suc- 
ceeded for  a  brief  time  by  Samuel  B.  Gookins,  whose  associates  were  Robert 
X.  Allen  and  William  G.  Duckworth.  In  185 1  Delana  R.  Eckels  came  upon 
the  bench,  being  commissioned  by  the  Legislature  for  a  period  of  seven  years. 
-\llen  and  Duckworth  were  still  associate  judges. 

Judge  Eckels,  who  easily  advanced  to  the  front  rank  of  his  profession 
in  Indiana,  emigrated  from  Kentucky  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Put- 
nam county  in  April,  1S33.  In  October  following  John  C.  Childs,  another 
Kentuckian.  was  admitted  to  practice  and  in  March,  1835,  Edward  \V.  Mc- 
Gaughey,  the  son  of  Arthur  ^IcGaughey.  the  clerk  of  the  county,  was  like- 
wise added  to  the  roll  of  attorneys  practicing  in  Putnam  county. 

The  office  of  associate  judge  ha\ing  been  abolished  James  Hughes  was 
made  circuit  judge  for  a  period  of  six  years,  but  having  resigned  before  the 
expiration  of  his  term.  James  M.  ?Ianna  and  Ambrose  B.  Carleton  in  succes- 
sion were  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  In  March.  1857,  Judge  Hanna.  hav- 
ing lieen  regularly  elected  in  the  preceding  fall,  resumed  his  place  on  the 
bench,  but  ere  long  he  again  resigned,  whereupon  Solomon  Claypool  was 
chosen  to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term.  In  April.  1865,  Judge  Eckels  returned 
to  the  bench  and  served  until  October.  1S70.  being  succeeded  by  William  M. 
Franklin,  who  filled  out  the  remainder  of  Judge  Eckels'  term.     In  1872  Solon 


^8  vveik's  history  of 

Turman  was  elected  and  continued  to  serve  until  his  death  in  i88_'.  Since 
Judge  Tumian's  death  the  judges  of  the  thirteenth  circuit,  which  includes 
Clay  and  Putnam  counties,  in  the  order  named  have  been  Sdas  D.  Coffey, 
Samuel  AI.  McGregor,  Presley  O.  Colliver  and  John  M.  Rawley,  the  present 
incumbent. 

When  the  county  was  first  organized  the  probate  business  was  transacted 
by  the  associate  judges,  but  after  1828  a  judge  was  appointed  to  take  charge 
of  all  probate  matters.  The  first  one  to  officiate  in  that  capacity  was  Joseph 
F.  Farley,  who,  as  appears  from  the  record,  served  till  the  close  of  the  year 
1830.  Judge  Farley  was  born  in  Shelby  county.  Kentucky.  April  15,  1791, 
and  early  in  life  joined  an  expedition  against  the  Indians  who  had  committed . 
the  Pigeon  Roost  massacre  in  this  state.  Later  he  was  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812.  serving  in  Richard  M.  Johnson's  regiment  in  the  battle  of  the 
Thames.  An  incident  occurred  after  the  latter  engagement  which  in  later 
years  the  Judge  was  fond  of  narrating.  After  the  death  of  Tecumseh  many 
of  the  white  soldiers  gathered  about  the  body  to  secure  some  souvenir  of  the 
dead  chieftain.  One  of  the  fomier  called  Farley  aside  and  exhibited  a  piece 
of  skin  which  he  had  stripped  from  Tecumseh"s  back  and  which  he  coolly  pro- 
posed to  take  home  with  him  and  use  for  a  razor  strop.  The  revelation  not 
only  shocked  but  aroused  Farley.  He  denounced  it  instantly  as  a  wanton,  in- 
human and  barbaric  desecration.  "It  is  unworthy  a  brave  soldier  and  espe- 
ciallv  a  Kentuckian,"  he  exclaimed  angrily.  "  and  if  my  comrades  are  so  lost 
to  all  sense  of  decency  and  humanity  as  to  mutilate  the  dead  body  of  a  fallen 
enemy,  even  though  I  have  no  authority  to  prevent  it.  I  shall  not  look  upon 
their  hideous  work."  He  was  as  good  as  his  word  and.  deaf  to  all  arguments, 
nothing  could  induce  him  to  look  upon  the  body  of  the  dead  Indian.  When 
the  office  of  county  auditor  was  created  Judge  Farley  was  the  first  incumbent 
of  the  same,  serving  till  November.  1855.  In  183J  he  was  associated  with 
John  C.  Chikls  in  the  editorship  of  The  Hoosicr,  the  first  newspaper  ever 
published  in  the  county.  He  died  in  Greencastle  August  6.  1868.  Judge 
Farley's  successors  in  charge  of  the  probate  court  were  John  Cowgill.  George 
F.  Watennan.  Reese  Hardesty  and  William  Lee,  in  the  order  named.  The 
last  probate  judge  in  the  county  was  Robert  Glidewell.  who  filled  the  position 
from  May,  1846,  until  1851.  when  the  probate  court,  so-called,  was  abolished 
or  superseded  by  the  court  of  common  pleas  after  the  adoption  of  the  new 
constitution.  From  the  latter  date  until  1873.  when  the  court  of  common 
pleas  was  also  abolished  by  the  Legislature,  the  following  persons  in  the  order 
named  presided  over  that  court:  John  Cowgill.  Frederick  T.  Brown.  Wil- 
liam M.  Franklin  and  Harrison  Burns. 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  59 


LAWYERS    OF    PUTNAM     COUNTY     BAR. 

Some  of  the  greatest  lawyers  in  the  state  have  at  one  time  or  another 
appeared  in  our  courts  and  our  local  bar  has  always  been  held  in  the  highest 
regard  for  its  ability,  skill  and  devotion  to  professional  ethics.  Thus  far 
the  records  fail  to  show  a  single  case  of  disbannent  or  the  evidence  of  the  be- 
trayal of  a  trust.  The  following  attorneys  have,  at  various  times,  been 
practitioners  in  our  courts:  John  Law,  Hugh  L.  Livingston,  Thomas  F.  G. 
Adams,  Craven  P.  Hester,  Cephas  D.  Morris,  Moses  Cox,  Robert  Glidewell, 
Joseph  F.  Farley,  Henry  Secrest,  Delana  R.  Eckels,  Tobed  E.  Beard.  Henry 
C.  Brown,  Samuel  Judah,  James  Farrington,  Thomas  H.  Blake.  Reuben  C. 
Gregory,  Richard  W.  Thompson,  Amory  Kinney,  John  P.  L'sher,  Edward 
W.  McGaughey.  Addison  L.  Roach,  James  M.  Gregg,  Christian  C.  Nave, 
David  McDonald,  Jonathan  D.  Harvey,  Tilghman  A.  Howard,  Joseph  A. 
Wright.  George  L.  Waterman.  Joseph  E.  MclDonald,  John  Cowgill,  Crom- 
well W.  Barbour.  Samuel  B.  Gookins,  Oliver  H.  P.  Ash,  Thomas  H.  Nelson, 
Daniel  W.  Voorhees,  Harvey  D.  Scott,  Solomon  Claypool,  William  A.  Mc- 
Kenzie,  Caleb  B.  Smith.  Oliver  H.  Smith,  James  Whitcomb,  John  A.  Matson, 
Russell  L.  Hathawav,  Delana  E.  Williamson,  James  M.  Hanna.  William  K. 
Edwards.  John  P.  Baird.  Isaac  N.  Pierce.  Chilton  A.  Darnall.  Columbus  D. 
Seller.  Plenry  \V.  Daniels.  John  C.  Turk.  John  Hanna.  Addison  Daggy,  Reu- 
ben S.  Ragan.  Diilard  C.  Donnohue.  Justice  S.  Bachelder.  James  A.  Craw- 
ley, William  PI.  Xye.  Ruljert  M.  Crane.  Milton  A.  Osborn.  John  S.  Jennings. 
Alarshall  A.  Moore,  James  J.  Smiley.  Frederick  T.  Brown,  Willis  G.  Neff. 
John  Starr.  Henry  H.  Mathias.  James  S.  Xutt.  Jonathan  Birch.  Weller  P.. 
Smith.  Gustavus  H.  Voss.  William  A.  Brown,  Courtland  C.  Matson.  Joseph 
S.  McClary,  Henry  I\[artin.  Lucius  P.  Chapin,  John  R.  Miller,  Thomas  Hanna. 
Granville  C.  Moore.  Thomas  Brannan.  Tarvin  C.  Grooms.  W'illiam  S.  Eckels. 
George  .\.  Knight.  Silas  D.  Coffey.  William  W.  Carter,  Samuel  McGregor. 
John  M.  Rawley.  William  R.  Guthrie,  Charles  E.  Matson.  Allen  T.  Rose. 
George  D.  Peters,  Curtis  Compton.  John  R.  Gordon,  Silas  A.  Hays.  Thomas 
T.  Moore,  John  P.  .\llee.  Benjamin  F.  Corwin.  John  D.  Reed.  Henry  C. 
Lewis.  J(jhn  H.  James.  James  T.  Denny.  Charles  T.  Peck.  R,  P,  Carpenter. 
Francis  M,  Lyon.  William  H,  H.  Cullen.  Jackson  Boyd.  Theodore  Crawley. 
James  F.  O'Brien,  James  P.  Hughes.  Alonzo  F.  Jacobs.  William  M.  Sntherlin. 
C.  C.  Gillen.  .Arthur  Stevenson.  George  Blake,  George  M.  Wilson,  Charles 
Mc(iaughey  and  .\ndrew  E.  Durham. 


6o  weik's  history  of 


COUNTY  CLERKS. 

The  first  clerk  of  Putnam  county  was  Arthur  McGaughey,  whose  term 
of  service  extended  from  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  county  in  1822 
until  April,  1S43.  His  successors  were  William  S.  Townsend,  who  served 
till  1850;  Jacob  McGinnis.  till  1859;  Melvin  McKee,  1867;  Henry  C.  Priest, 
1873;  Milford-B.  Rudisill,  1874;  Moses  D.  Bridges,  1882;  John  W.  Lee, 
1890;  Daniel  T.  Darnall,  1898;  and  John  W.  Houck,  1902.  The  present  in- 
cumbent of  the  office  is  James  L.  Hamilton,  who  was  elected  in  1902. 

COUNTY  AUDITORS. 

Until  185 1  the  duties  of  clerk  and  auditor  were  performed  by  one  person, 
but  after  that  the  offices  were  separated.  The  first  auditor  was  Joseph  F. 
Farley,  whose  term  expired  in  1855.  He  was  followed  by  Samuel  Woodruff, 
who  served  till  1863 ;  Elijah  T.  Keightley,  till  1866;  Henry  W.  Daniels,  1867; 
William  S.  Mulholn,  1875;  Harrison  M.  Randel.  1879;  James  Edwards, 
1883;  McCamey  Hartley,  1887;  James  L.  Randel,  1891  ;  George  M.  Black, 
1895;  William  L.  Denman,  1899;  Peter  F.  Stoner,  1903;  and  Clement  C. 
Hurst,  1907;  Daniel  V.  Mofifett.  the  present  incumbent,  was  elected  in  1906. 


The  first  sheriff  was  William  W.  Mcintosh,  who.  after  a  long  period  of 
service,  was  succeeded  by  George  Secrest.  Fielding  Priest  came  next  and 
served  till  1836;  David  Rudisill  till  1840;  Edward  R.  Kercheval,  1844;  Archi- 
bald Johnson,  1848;  Joseph  Collier,  1852;  Joseph  Siddons.  1854;  Anderson 
Johnson,  1856;  William  L.  Farrow,  1858;  John  R.  ]Mahan.  i860;  William 
S.  Collier.  1862;  John  McKee,  1S64;  Green  Burrow,  1866;  John  S.  Apple- 
gate,  1867;  Levi  Woodaim,  1868;  George  W.  Sherrill.  1872;  James  Stone. 
1876;  Closes  T.  Lewman,  1880;  James  Brandon.  1884;  Leander  L.  Lewis, 
1S88;  William  B.  Vestal,  1892;  Francis  M.  Glidewell.  1S96:  Richard  Buntin, 
1900;  John  F.  Cooper,  1904;  David  Maze,  1908;  Frank  M.  Stroube.  the  pres- 
ent incumbent,  was  elected  in  1908. 

COUNTY  TREASURERS. 

James  Talbott  was  the  first  county  treasurer,  having  been  elected  to  that 
office  bv  the  countv  commissioners  in  1S28;  James  McAchran,  Isaac  Mahan, 


PUTNAM     COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


6i 


Samuel  Woodrutt  and  Edward  R.  Kercheval  appear  to  have  filled  the  office 
until  1855,  when  Isaac  Wright  was  elected;  Wright  served  till  1857,  being 
succeeded  by  John  Gilmore,  who  served  till  1861 ;  Samuel  E.  Parks,  till  1863; 
James  G.  Edwards,  1865;  William  E.  D.  Barnett,  1867;  Joseph  B.  Sellers, 
1869;  John  Gilmore,  1871;  Harrison  M.  Randel,  1875;  Richard  S.  Farrow, 
1879;  Henry  Hillis,  1881  ;  William  R.  Grogan,  1885;  Ephraim  Tucker.  1889; 
Willard  Bowen,  1893;  George  W.  Hughes,  1897;  James  Browning,  1901  ; 
John  Edwards.  1905  ;  and  Edward  McG.  Walls,  1909.  The  pfesent  treasurer 
is  Jasper  Miller. 

RECORDERS. 

Originally  the  clerk  performed  the  duties  of  the  recorder  of  deeds  also, 
but  in  1836  a  recorder  was  chosen  in  the  person  of  William  E.  Talbott,  who 
served  as  such  till  1842,  when  David  Rudisill  took  the  office  and  filled  it  till 
1850.  William  Lee  succeeded  him.  serving  till  1855;  next  William  H.  Shields, 
till  1859;  CHnton  Walls,  1867;  John  Crane,  1875;  George  Owens.  1879: 
Daniel  Mahoney,  1887;  Daniel  Hurst,  1895;  Benjamin  Harris,  1903;  Henry 
Blue.  1907:  Lawrence  Athey,  the  present  incumbent,  was  elected  to  succeed 
Mr.  Blue. 

SURVEYORS. 

The  following  persons  have  performed  the  duties  of  surveyor:  Joseph 
S.  Patterson  and  Robert  Glidewell  from  the  date  of  the  organization  of  the 
county  till  1832;  William  H.  Shields,  till  1841  ;  Samuel  H.  Catherwood,  1843; 
William  H.  Shields,  1854;  John  McClaskey,  1856;  Lewis  H.  Rudisill,  1858; 
John  McClaskey,  i860;  Lewis  H.  Rudisill,  1862;  Harrison  M.  Randel.  1870: 
Philip  Rudisill.  1872;  Joseph  Frakes,  1874;  William  H.  Hedges,  1876; 
George  Hendricks,  1880;  Ransom  H.  Walls,  1886;  James  F.  O'Brien.  1898; 
Arthur  Plummer.  1903.  Since  the  latter  date  Aleck  Lane  has  been  chosen  to 
fill  the  office. 

COUNTY   COMMISSIONERS. 

Another  court  of  quite  as  much  if  not  greater  importance  than  either  the 
circuit  or  probate  courts  was  the  commissioners'  court.  From  the  record  of 
its  proceedings  we  learn  much  of  the  earlier  history  of  the  county.  L'n- 
fortunatelv   for  us.  however,  as  explained  in  a  former  chapter,  the  record 


62  weik's  history  of 

from  the  organization  of  the  county  in  1822  until  1828  has  been  lost  or  de- 
stroyed so  that  we  must  accept  as  true  some  things  during  the  period  named 
which  can  not  be  verified  by  the  highest  grade  of  proof  known  to  the  law, 
viz. :  a  written  record  made  at  the  time  the  action  or  transaction  took  place. 
Beginning  with  1828.  however,  the  record  is  complete  and  as  no  better  idea 
of  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  county's  development  can  elsewhere  be  ob- 
tained the  liberty  will  be  taken  to  reproduce  here,  although  without  attempt- 
ing to  conform  to  any  particular  order  or  arrangement,  such  items  as  will 
tend  to  afford  us  the  required  light.  In  May,  1828,  the  business  of  the  county 
was  intrusted  to  what  was  called  the  board  of  county  justices.  It  consisted 
at  that  time  of  sixteen  justices  of  the  peace  as  follows:  John  Hubbard,  who 
was  the  president;  George  Mcintosh.  Eli  Brackney,  William  Elrod,  Alex- 
ander Galbreath.  John  Denny,  John  Swift.  Arthur  Mahorney.  Peter  Gilstrop, 
Thomas  Heady,  Benjamin  Wright.  William  McCarty,  John  Reel,  Joshua 
Gillet.  David  Lindley  and  David  Swank.  Their  first  act  after  convening 
May  5.  1828,  was  to  elect  a  county  treasurer.  But  one  ballot  was  taken,  result- 
ing in  the  election  of  James  Talbott.  who  received  eleven  votes  as  against 
five  cast  for  Isaac  Ash.  Pleasant  S.  Wilson  was  appointed  keeper  of  the 
public  pound,  at  fifty  cents  per  day,  and  the  clerk  was  authorized  to  issue- 
license  to  David  Rudisill  and  Philip  Carpenter  to  "retail  spiritous  liquors  and 
vend  foreign  merchandise"'  for  twelve  months.  One  item  in  the  record  for 
this  term  will  serve  to  indicate  not  only  the  style  of  architecture  then  in  vogue 
but  the  county  commissioners'  idea  of  art  as  follows :  "Ordered  that  the 
plan  of  the  painting  of  the  first  and  third  story  of  the  cupola  of  the  court  house 
be  changed  from  red  to  white."  The  board  also  fixed  the  rate  of  taxation 
for  county  purposes,  the  same  to  be :  "Twenty-five  cents  on  each  poll ;  horses, 
twenty-five  cents;  oxen,  twelve  and  one-half  cents;  gold  watches,  one  dollar; 
silver  watches,  twenty-five  cents;  brass  clocks,  one  dollar;  town  lots,  fifty 
cents  on  each  one  hundred  dollars;  pinchbeck  watches,  twenty -five  cents." 
At  the  January  term  in  1829  it  was  "ordered  that  John  F.  Seller  be  allowed  the 
sum  of  four  dollars  for  dieting  (  ?)  prisoners,  etc."' 

THE  FIRST  COURT   HOUSE. 

We  have  already  seen  that  as  late  as  1826  the  circuit  court  met  at  the 
house  of  Joseph  Orr  on  the  north  side  of  the  public  square.  After  that,  there 
being  no  further  mention  in  the  records  of  the  court  having  met  at  a  private 
house,  it  is  presumed  that  the  county  had,  meanwhile,  erected  some  sort  of  a 
court  house;  but  what  style  of  building  it  was,  how  large,  what  it  cost  or 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  63 

when  completed  cannot  now  be  determined  for  the  reason,  already  mentioned, 
that  the  records  of  the  county  commissioners'  court  prior  to  1828  are  not  on 
hie. 

At  the  September,  1828,  term  of  the  commissioners'  court  we  find  an 
order  that  "the  agent  of  the  county  be  and  he  is  authorized  to  pay  over  as  fast 
as  he  can  collect,  the  money  that  may  become  due  to  Amos  Robertson  on  the 
last  payment  on  the  court  house  contract,"  and  at  the  May  term,  1829,  a  com- 
mittee consisting  of  John  Reel,  Eli  Brackney,  Alexander  Galbreath,  Isaac 
Alahan  and  John  Denny  make  the  following  report:  "We,  the  undersigned, 
being  your  committee  appointed  to  examine  the  situation  of  the  court  house, 
have  proceeded  to  examine  the  same  and  beg  leave  to  report  that  we  find  the 
same  in  an  untinislied  situation."  The  committee  was  further  directed  to 
meet  in  Greencastle  on  the  "first  Saturday  in  June  next  to  settle  with  Amos 
Robertson ;  to  estimate  the  amount  of  money  that  may  probably  be  expended 
on  the  court  house  during  the  present  year;  to  engage  workmen  on  the  best 
terms  to  finish  the  house  and  to  make  any  necessary  arrangement  in  relation 
to  the  partial  or  total  continuance  of  the  work."  Meanwhile  it  would  seem 
as  if  Robertson  had  failed  to  complete  the  building  or  in  some  other  way 
had  defaulted  in  his  contract  for.  in  July.  1829.  the  record  shows  that  the 
commissioners  enteretl  into  a  contract  with  Arthur  McGaughey  who  for  six 
hundred  ninety-nine  dollars  and  ninety-three  cents  had  agreed  to  finish  the 
court  house  by  September,  1830.  Of  this  sum,  one  hundred  fifty  dollars  was 
advanced  to  McGaughey  before  the  close  of  the  July  term.  Among  other 
orders  issued  by  the  board  at  this  session  was  one  appointing  Isaac  Mahan 
"agent  for  the  management  of  the  Publick  Spring,"  with  authority  to  contract 
with  Charles  Secrest  for  clearing  ofif  the  timber  from  the  lot  and  sowing  it  in 
blue  grass  and  "when  the  same  is  done  said  Charles  shall  be  freed  from  any 
right  of  action  that  may  heretofore  have  accrued  to  the  county  by  any  trespass 
heretofore  by  him  said  Charles  done  on  said  lot." 

Meanwhile,  the  court  house  committee  at  the  September  term,  1829,  ap- 
pear and  report  the  court  house  "complete  with  the  exception  of  one  Venetian 
l)lind  in  the  northwest  corner  of  said  house — upper  window,"  and  at  the  Janu- 
ary term  in  the  next  year  it  is  "ordered  that  Amos  Robertson  be  allowed 
three  hundred  fifty- four  dollars  and  forty-four  cents  so  soon  as  the  board 
finds  the  treasurv'  able  to  discharge  the  same."  Although  the  county  now  had 
a  court  house,  yet  it  soon  became  too  small  and  inadequate  for  the  growing 
business  of  the  new  community.  Within  two  years  it  was  found  necessary 
to  erect  a  separate  building  for  the  use  of  the  clerk  and  recorder. 


64 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


At  the  May  term,  1833,  the  records  show  an  order  directing  that  "the 
clerk's  office  be  built  ten  feet  west  of  Indiana  street  and  ten  feet  north  of 
Washington  street  fronting  west."  At  the  November  term  in  the  same  year 
it  was  ordered  that  "the  clerk's  office  be  removed  to  the  south  end  of  the 
building  erected  for  that  purpose  and  that  the  recorder's  office  be  removed 
to  the  north  end  of  the  same  building  forthwith,  that  the  work  on  the  inside 
thereof  be  received  by  the  board  and  that  Isaac  Mahan  be  allowed  one  hun- 
dred dollars  for  work  done  in  erecting  said  offices."  Prior  to  this  the  clerk's 
office  was  in  private  quarters,  for  we  find  an  order  directing  a  payment  to 
John  Hammond  of  "twelve  dollars  and  sixty-six  and  two-third  cents  for 
house  rent  for  clerk's  office."  That  even  after  the  erection  of  the  new  build- 
ing for  the  clerk's  office  there  was  more  or  less  friction  is  shown  by  an  order 
made  at  the  November,  1835,  tenn  of  the  commissioners'  court,  directing 
"that  the  two  rooms  heretofore  built  for  the  use  of  the  clerk  and  recorder  of 
this  county  be  from  this  time  forward  considered  as  a  clerk's  office  only  and 
that  the  clerk  fix  the  same  to  suit  himself  at  his  own  expense."  A  year  fol- 
lowing this  entry  appears  in  the  record :  "The  order  heretofore  issued  allow- 
ing the  clerk  the  use  of  the  recorder's  office  is  hereby  rescinded  and  the  re- 
corder is  informed  thereof  and  directed  to  remove  the  books  and  papers  of  his 
office  to  said  room." 

Meanwhile  the  entries  in  the  record  at  this  period  relating  to  the  matter 
of  a  court  house  are  more  or  less  confusing — so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  it  is 
difficult  to  determine  whether  they  relate  to  a  court  house  built  before  1828 
and  left  unfinished  or  to  a  new  building  then  under  construction.  For  in- 
stance at  the  November  term.  1833,  it  was  "ordered  that  Thomas  Gibbs  be 
allowed  thirty-five  dollars  for  work  done  plastering  the  court  house."  At  the 
March  temi,  1834,  it  was  further  ordered  that  John  Cowgill  be  appointed  to 
take  charge  of  the  court  house  and  see  that  it  sustains  no  damage  from  any 
quarter  whatever  and  that  for  the  purpose  aforesaid  he  is  authorized  and  re- 
quired to  take  the  kevs  of  said  house  and  to  incur  any  small  expense  in  secur- 
ing the  windows  and  doors."  Again  at  the  September  term  in  the  same  year 
it  is  recorded  that  "the  committy  after  examining  the  plastering  of  the 
court  house  do  think  the  plastering  strong  and  that  it  ought  to  be  and  by  the 
full  board  is  received  and  that  Thomas  Gibbs  be  allowed  a  further  payment 
of  sixty-five  dollars  on  his  contract."  At  the  November  term,  also,  in  the 
same  year  Isaac  Mahan,  Peter  \\'.  Applegate  and  Pleasant  S.  Wilson  were 
appointed  a  "committee  to  contract  with  competent  persons  to  repair  the  court 
house,  that  is  to  sav,  the  window  blinds,  window  glass  and  window  bolts  so 
as  to  secure  the  windows  inside  from  being  opened  outside  and  the  doors 
also,  together  with  the  repairs  of  the  chimneys." 


PUTXA.\[    COL'XTV,    INDIANA. 


ERECTION    OF  A   JAIL. 


In  Noxeniber,  1836,  Isaac  Mahan,  Wesley  White  and  Hudson  Brack- 
ney  were  directed  to  superintend  the  "building  and  erecting  of  a  new  jail  with 
power  to  act  in  their  sound  discretion."  In  May.  1840,  the  "conmnttee  on 
erection  of  new  jail  for  Putnam  county"  report  that  they  have  contracted  for 
the  erection  of  a  building  thirty-si.x  b\'  twenty-se\en  feet  siiuare.  of  brick  and 
two  stories  high,  the  "debtor's  room  to  be  furnished  strong  and  plain,  with 
fire-place  and  substantial  oaken  door.  The  criminal  room  to  be  built  inside 
the  brick  wall,  with  oak  timl^er  nine  inches  si[uare.  One  iron  door  and  one 
oak  door,  one  and  one-half  inches  thick — flooring  throughout  of  oak."  Sam- 
uel Taylor  and  James  M.  Grooms  w  ere  appointed  superintendents.  The  rec- 
ord does  not  indicate  precisely  when  the  new  jail  was  completed,  but  at  a 
session  of  the  commissioners'  court  in  December.  1841.  it  was  reported  that 
the  edifice  was  insecure,  whereupon  it  was  "ordered  that  the  inside  be  lined 
with  two-inch  oak  plank  and  that  iron  ijars  be  placed  around  doors  and  win- 
dows of  the  thickness  of  one-half  inch  and  in  width  four  inches.  The  planks 
spiked  with  wrought-iron  spikes  five  inches  long — the  bars  around  the  doors 
and  windows  to  be  counter-sunk  to  the  heads  of  the  spikes."  John  S.  Jen- 
nings was  appointed  superintendent  and  an  order  was  made  to  sell  the  old 
jail,  the  proceeds  to  be  applied  to  fence  around  jail  lot.  A  large  jail  was  un- 
necessary, for  on  examining  the  records  of  the  twenty-eight  criminal  causes 
tried  in  the  spring  of  184J,  we  learn  that  fourteen  of  them  were  for  unlaw- 
ful sale  of  liquor,  si.x  for  horse  racing,  four  for  assault  and  batterv,  one  for 
carrying  concealed  weapons  and  three  for  gaming. 

For  several  years  after  the  organization  of  the  county  there  was  no 
central  place  to  which  the  indigent  poor  or  those  who  were  charges  on  the 
public  could  be  taken,  but  in  Januan,',  1836,  the  commissioners  decided  to 
provide  an  asylum  for  such  cases  and  to  that  end  purchased  of  Henry  Batter- 
ton  a  farm  in  Marion  township,  which  is  still  owned  by  Putnam  county.  In 
March  James  Mc.Xchren,  John  Duckworth,  John  Collings  and  Anderson  B. 
Mathew s  were  appointed  a  committee  to  superintend  the  construction  of  neces- 
■sary  buildings  thereon.  The  record  further  states  that  Daniel  Chadd  was 
appointed  visitor  to  the  poor  farm  and  that  his  duties  were  to  make  sugges- 
tions from  time  to  time  to  the  county  Ix^ard  regarding  the  management  there- 
of. William  Patrick  was  engaged  as  superintendent  at  thirteen  dollars  per 
month  and  Dr.  William  E.  Talbott  as  phvsician. 
(5) 


66  WEIKS    HISTORY    OF 


A   NEW  COURT   HOUSE  NEEDED. 

As  the  population  and  business  of  the  county  continued  to  grow  the  pub- 
lic buildings  soon  became  more  or  less  inadequate.  At  the  March  term,  1844, 
of  the  countv  commissioners'  court  a  motion  carried  appointing  a  committee 
consisting  of  one  justice  of  the  peace  from  each  township  to  inquire  into  the 
probable  e.xpense  of  erecting  new  offices  for  the  clerk,  auditor  and  recorder,  to 
be  made  fire-proof  of  adequate  size,  etc.  The  committee  consisted  of  the 
following :  L.  B.  Harris,  Washington  township ;  J.  L.  Merrill,  Warren ;  D. 
Scott,  Jeff'erson;  A.  Van  Dyke,  Marion;  John  Miller,  Greencastle;  Levi  Mann, 
Madison;  Caleb  C.  Osborn,  Clinton;  Dillard  C.  Donnohue,  Monroe;  A.  B. 
Mathews,  Floyd;  William  M.  Saunders,  Jackson;  Thomas  Miller,  Franklin, 
and  John  Leaton,  Russell.  This  committee  at  the  June  meeting  reported 
that  the  existing  clerk's  and  recorder's  office  were  reasonably  "fire-proof  and 
that  further  expense  upon  said  office  would  be  improper."  The  matter  of 
new  or  improved  facilities  for  storing  and  caring  for  the  public  records — in 
other  words  the  project  of  a  new  court  house — was  thus  laid  aside  for  the 
time.  But  it  did  not  slumber  long,  for  in  1846  at  the  March  term  of  the  com- 
missioners' court,  Delana  R.  Eckels  moved  the  adoption  of  the  following 
resolution  :  "Resolved,  That  it  is  the  duty  of  this  board  to  take  some  prepara- 
tory steps  toward  the  erection  of  a  sufficient  court  house  for  the  transaction 
of  public  business,  and  the  convenience  of  the  people  of  Putnam  county."  A 
spirited  and  somewhat  acrimonious  argument  followed,  but  on  the  call  of  the 
aves  and  noes  the  new  court  house  partisans  were  successful  by  a  majority  of 
seven  as  follows :  Ayes — James  Athey,  Lloyd  B.  Harris,  Thomas  Shipman, 
Thomas  Morris,  William  McKinley,  John  S.  Jennings,  William  W.  Berry, 
John  Miller,  Samuel  Adams,  Caleb  B.  Osborn.  James  Johnson,  Joseph  Albin, 
Stacv  R.  Youn-^man,  Dillard  C.  Donnohue,  James  L.  Boyd,  James  B.  Wilson 
and  John  Leaton.  seventeen.  Noes — John  M.  Purcell.  Curran  E.  Swift. 
David  Barnes,  Isaac  Hurst.  Ouinton  Van  Dyke.  Robert  Case,  William  Per- 
kins, William  Sanders.  Thomas  Miller  and  Sylvester  \V.  Perry,  ten.  The 
board  thereupon  appointed  John  K.  Dawson,  John  Reel,  Francis  Dunlavy, 
William  Arnold  and  Xorval  F.  Kennedy  a  committee  to  prepare  plans  and 
receive  bids  for  the  material  and  for  the  construction  of  a  court  house.  The 
record  further  shows  that  at  the  September  term,  1846,  on  motion  of  John  S. 
Tennino-s,  it  was  ordered  that  the  new  court  house  to  be  built  should  be  sixty- 
fi\-e  feet  long  and  fifty  feet  wide  and  that  the  cost  should  not  exceed  eight 
thousand  dollars.     It  was  further  ordered  that  Elisha  Braman  be  authorized 


PUTNAM    COLNTY,    IXDIAXA.  67 

to  prepare  a  draft  or  plans  of  the  new  structure,  the  same  to  be  deposited  with 
the  auditor,  who  should  give  public  notice  that  bids  for  the  erection  of  the 
building  would  be  received  on  the  second  day  of  the  December  term.  Bra- 
man's  plans  were  accepted  and  the  board  thanked  him  and  made  him  a  small 
allowance,  \^'hen  the  bids  were  opened  on  December  9th  it  was  found  that 
Elisha  .Adamson  was  the  lowest  bidder,  his  figures  being  eight  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars.  He  was  duly  awarded  the  contract,  with  George  K.  Steele 
and  John  Sunderland  as  his  sureties.  The  old  court  house  was  at  the  same 
time  sold  for  one  hundred  fifty-one  dollars  to  William  S.  Collier,  who  was 
required  to  remove  it  before  the  following  June.  Isaac  Mahan  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  constmction.  During  the  erection  of  the  new  building  it 
was  "ordered  that  the  several  courts  be  held  in  the  county-  seminary  and  the 
county  clerk  establish  his  office  in  some  suitable  room  on  the  pubHc  square." 
The  construction  of  the  new  building  was,  therefore,  begun  about  July,  1847. 
At  the  December  term  of  the  commissioners'  court,  contractor  Elisha  Adam- 
son  presented  the  following  report  of  his  operations  up  to  that  time: 

"^75/^2  perch  stone  at  $2.00 S  351.00 

"Digging    9.54 

'■'118,800  Brick  at  S6.50 772.20 

"132  feet  Collums  at  $2.00 264.00 

"Collum  Caps 50.00 

"Original  Brick  and  stone  work  finished 3.300.00 

"Amount  of  carpenter  work  done 3.500.00 

$8,246.74 
"Orders  issued  to  E.  .-Xdamson 1.920.00 


$6,326.74 
"E.  Adamson. 
"Greencastle,  Dec.  6." 

At  the  Alarch,  184S.  term  of  court  it  was  ordered  that  contractor  Adam- 
son  be  directed  to  omit  the  vaults  marked  in  the  draft  under  the  stairways  in 
the  court  house,  he  having  agreed  to  deduct  from  the  amount  of  his  original 
contract  the  sum  of  twenty- four  dollars  in  consideration  thereof.  The  board 
also  agreed  to  receive  "the  brick  pilaster  caps  when  well  plastered  with  water 
lime  cement  instead  of  the  wooden  caps  ordered  in  the  original  specifications." 
At  the  June  temi,  1S48,  it  was  ordered  by  the  board  that  Elisha  Adamson  be 


68  weik's  history  of 

instructed  to  varnish  the  judge's  seat  in  the  new  court  house,  provided  it 
costs  no  more  than  the  painting  would  cost  if  done  according  to  contract." 
Also  that  Isaac  Alahan,  Samuel  Emerson  and  Abraham  Moore  be  "authorized 
to  superintend  the  completion  of  court  room,  to  procure  three  dozen  round 
arm-chairs  for  court  room,  three  dozen  painted  split-bottom  chairs  for  grand 
and  petit  jury  rooms  and  procure  a  carpet."  September  4,  1848,  the  board 
met  in  the  county  seminary  building.  ''Elisha  Adamson  receipted  for  two 
thousand  si.x  hundred  sixty-four  dollars  and  ninety-two  cents  in  full  for  bal- 
ance due  on  court  house  contract,  and  announced  that  the  court  house  was 
complete  and  officers  authorized  to  move  in  as  soon  as  practicable."  Isaac 
Mahan  and  Joseph  Collier  appointed  a  "committee  to  grade  the  court  house 
yard,  furnish  suitable  stoves  and  pipes  and  have  rock  fixed  under  conductors 
to  carry  off  water,  also  to  sell  old  clerk's  and  recorder's  office  for  the  best 
possible  price."'  December  5,  1848,  "ordered  that  sheriff  have  authority  to 
rent  for  an  office  one  of  the  jury  rooms  below  in  the  court  house  to  William 
A.  McKenzie."  On  March  6,  1849,  "ordered  that  common  council  of  Green- 
castle  and  their  officers  may  use  middle  room  on  west  side  of  the  court  house 
below  the  stairs,  when  unoccupied  by  court  or  juries,  for  fifty  cents  per 
month."  June  5,  1850,  John  Cowgill,  James  Jones,  Clinton  Walls,  William 
Albin,  Samuel  M.  Dyer,  James  Sill  and  John  S.  Jennings  appointed  trustees 
of  county  library-.  Clinton  Walls  as  agent  to  collect  scattered  volumes  and 
replace  in  library.  The  library  to  be  for  the  present  in  middle  room,  west 
side  down  stairs,  of  court  house."  September  4,  1S50,  "ordered  that  middle 
room  down  stairs  on  west  side  of  court  house  be  rented  to  Chilton  A.  Darnall 
for  law  office  at  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  month,  and  northwest 
corner  room  below  to  Delana  R.  Eckels  at  the  same  rental." 

The  court  house  was  now  complete  and  no  longer  the  occasion  for  the 
fruitless  and  irritating  controversy  which  its  construction  awakened.  A 
plain  but  classic  structure,  with  massive  columns  at  either  end,  it  stood  for 
years,  like  some  mute  sentinel,  o'ertopping  every  other  building  within  its 
view.  Larger  and  more  capacious  than  necessary,  its  builders  nevertheless 
looked  beyond  their  needs  and  builded  for  the  future.  And  lo,  the  future 
was  not  far  away,  for  within  fifty  years  it  was  found  to  be  greatly  inadequate 
and  unsuited  to  the  new  century's  requirements.  To  dwell  on  the  develop- 
ment of  the  beautiful  and  artistic  structure  which  now  graces  our  public 
square  would  be  an  unnecessary  repetition,  for  every  school  boy  knows  its 
history  and  almost  every  one,  "citizen  and  sojourner"  alike,  saw  it  but  a  few 
days  ago  rise  majestically  from  a  heap  of  earth  and  sand  and  shapeless  rock 
to  a  graceful  and  prepossessing  combination  of  steel  and  glass  and  sculptured 
stone. 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  69 


THE  PRESENT  COURT  HOUSE. 

The  first  step  towards  its  construction  was  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of 
1901.  introduced  by  our  representative,  Hon.  John  H.  James,  which  author- 
ized a  special  election  in  the  county  on  the  proposition  of  a  court  house  build- 
ing at  a  cost  of  not  e.Kceeding  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The 
election  was  held  in  1903  and  by  a  ver)'  significant  and  substantial  majority 
the  voters  fa\ored  the  court  house.  A  board  of  construction,  consisting  of 
the  three  county  commissioners,  T.  D.  Brookshire,  V.  B.  McCammack  and 
Samuel  H.  Judy,  and  three  other  well-known  citizens,  George  W.  Hanna, 
James  McD.  Hays  and  James  L.  Randel,  was  organized  and  to  their  viligance, 
firmness,  honesty  and  good  sense  do  we  owe  much  of  the  success  of  this  great 
enterprise.  After  e.xamining  many  plans,  they  accepted  those  prepared  by 
J.  W.  Gaddis.  an  architect  living  in  Vincennes.  On  July  29,  1903,  a  contract 
to  erect  the  building  was  made  with  Caldwell  &  Drake,  of  Columbus,  Indiana, 
and  as  soon  thereafter  as  the  old  building,  which  was  sold  to  Andrew  Black 
and  James  B.  Nelson  for  twenty-seven  dollars,  could  be  removed  the  new  one 
was  begun.  The  comer  stone  was  laid  October  29,  1903.  and  the  building 
completed  and  dedicated  July  4,  1905.  A  bronze  memorial  tablet  on  the  wall 
of  the  rotunda  fi.xes  the  cost  of  the  building  at  $144,977.13  ;  heating  plant  and 
sewer,  $17,385.69:  furnishings,  S13. 366.60,  or  a  total  of  $175,729.68. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

EARLY  SETTLERS  AND  INCIDENTS. 

As  late  as  1836  the  county  clerk,  by  order  of  the  commissioners,  was 
issuing  certiticates  for  two  dollars  to  any  one  who  might  kill  a  wolf  over  six 
months  old  "and  half  that  sum  for  wolves  under  six  months;"  all  of  which 
goes  to  prove  that  the  transition  from  the  blazed  trail  and  greased  paper 
window  to  the  railroad  and  the  daily  paper  is  after  all  a  slow  and  labored 
evolution. 

The  early  settlers  of  Putnam  county  were  as  healthy,  vigorous  and  as 
susceptible  to  social  and  moral  improvements  as  any  other  community  of  like 
environment.  Comprised  mainly  of  the  more  progressive  and  adventurous 
spiri^  from  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  North  Carolina  and  other  older- states, 
they  were  easily  inured  to  the  privations  and  lack  of  comfort  which  life  in 
a  new  country  invariably  necessitates.  "The  moral  character  of  these  early 
settlers,"  says  one  writer,  "was  generally  of  a  high  order.  They  were  honest 
in  their  dealings,  industrious  by  habit  and  charitable  toward  their  neighbors. 
That  they  were  deeply  imbued  with  the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion 
may  be  inferred  from  their  very  early  establishment  of  various  church  organi- 
zations. On  the  contrar}-.  that  they  were  subject  to  some  of  the  vices  incident 
to  the  time  in  which  they  lived  need  not  be  concealed.  But.  they  possessed 
within  themselves  the  elements  of  their  own  correction." 

No  better  history  can  be  written,  nothing  more  vividly  reproduced  than 
the  recollections  by  our  forefathers  of  their  early  days  in  the  isolation  and 
solitude  of  the  wilderness;  and  from  such  sources  are  we  made  to  realize  how 
the  pioneers  lived;  how,  in  spite  of  adverse  conditions,  they  developed  and 
how^  much  we  of  this  day  and  generation  are  indebted  to  them  for  the  com- 
forts we  ourselves  enjoy.  As  a  faithful  portrayal  of  primitive  conditions  in 
Putnam  county,  I  take  the  liberty  of  quoting  from  a  paper  read  before  the 
Putnam  County  Historical  Society  on  "Old  Landmarks"  by  Albert  Lock- 
ridge  in  May.  1895.  "Almost  eveiy  witness  of  the  earliest  days  in  Putnam 
county."  said  Mr.  Lockridge,  "has  gone  to  his  reward  and  yet.  strange  to 
relate,  one  of  these  who  was  here  when  the  county  was  created  and  who  helped 
to  mould  it  into  one  of  the  political  divisions  of  our  great  state  is  still  living. 
I  refer  to  Thomas  Jackson,  of  Marion  township.     Bom  in  Bourbon  county. 


PUTNAM    COUXTY,    IXDIAXA.  J I 

Kentucky,  Alay  j8,  1798.  he  is  still  well  preserved  pliysically  and  nientallv  and 
an  interesting  specimen  of  the  hardy  and  adventurous  pioneer.  The  writer 
recently  visited  him  and  gleaned  from  his  reminiscences  many  items  of  early 
history  that  ought  not  to  be  lost.  Speaking  of  his  arrival  in  Putnam  countv. 
he  said  it  was  an  unbroken  wilderness.  One  of  his  neighbors  was  Samuel 
Chadd  and  together  they  planted  and  cultivated  a  crop  of  corn,  exchanging 
work.  Mr.  Jackson — or  Uncle  Tommy,  as  he  is  generally  known — did  the 
plowing  and  Chadd  manipulated  the  hoe.  The  harness  and  plow  were  of  the 
most  primitive  type,  the  former  simply  a  shuck  collar  with  linn  tugs,  and 
the  plow  of  the  usual  mold-board  variety.  The  linn  bark, — that  is.  the  inner 
bark  of  the  linden  tree. —  from  which  tug.  straps,  strings  and  thongs  were 
made,  was  first  soaked  in  a  neighboring  1)ranch'  until  it  became  soft  and 
pliant,  when  it  was  doubled  antl  twisted  into  various  sizes  according  to  the 
use  for  which  it  was  intended.  It  was  also  used  for  bed  cords,  well-sweeps 
and  plow  lines.  It  is  also  safe  to  infer  that  four  or  five  feet  of  the  larger  size 
was  occasionally  used  judiciously  and  with  apparent  profit  in  disciplining  an 
indolent  or  refractory  plow-boy. 

"Clearing  the  timber  was  a  difficult  ami  laborious  operation.  Water 
stood  everywhere  through  the  dark  woods  and  the  settlers  had  to  wade  in  it 
up  to  their  knees,  sometimes,  as  they  felled  and  carried  the  logs  with  hand- 
pikes  to  the  huge  heaps.  Mr.  Jackson  related  that  after  fifteen  or  twenty 
successi\  e  days  of  such  laborious  toil  the  pioneer,  hardy  though  he  was,  would 
be  well  nigh  fagged  out.  While  in  his  youth  in  Kentucky  Uncle  Tommv 
managed  to  save  a  hundred  dollars.  Returning  to  that  state  for  it,  he  had 
to  give  fifty  of  it  to  get  what  was  called  'land-ofiice  money," — that  is,  silver. 
He  agam  set  out  for  Indiana  and  with  his  uncle,  James  Lightall,  entered  one 
hundred  sixty  acres  of  land  in  what  is  a  portion  of  the  Terry  farm  in  the 
eastern  part  of  Putnam  county.  This  was  his  first  entiy.  Later  he  sold 
his  interest  for  three  hundred  dollars  and  entered  the  land  on  which  he  now 
li\'es. 

"At  that  time  there  were  several  Indian  camps  in  the  neighborhood,  two 
on  what  is  now  the  writer's  fann  in  Marion  township,  and  one  on  the  Nichola.s 
Cofifman  tract  on  the  right  bank  of  Big  Walnut  creek.  Uncle  Tommv  fre- 
quently visited  these  camps,  for  the  Indians  were  very  friendly.  He  related 
that  he  was  at  a  camp  on  one  occasion  when  the  Indians  were  preparing  a 
feast  by  cooking  a  coon  in  a  kettle.  With  an  Indian's  habitual  contempt  for 
cleanliness,  they  were  cooking  the  animal  with  the  customar}-  'trimmings' ; 
that  is  with  the  hair,  hide  and  claws.  When  this  smoking  mess  was  skill fullv 
harpooned  out  of  the  kettle  by  a  greasy  squaw,  Uncle  Tommv  was  in\ited 


J2  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

to  dine ;  but  his  appetite  for  dinner  had  vanished  and  with  the  usual  protesta- 
tion of  thanks  he  felt  impelled  to  decline  the  invitation.  It  was  at  this  same 
camp  on  Big  Walnut  that  he  saw  the  grave  of  an  Indian  only  recently  buried. 
The  mound  was  enclosed  in  a  mde  pen  built  of  buckeye  logs  which  the  red 
men  had  cut  into  proper  lengths  with  their  tomahawks.  This  barrier  of  logs 
had  been  erected  to  keep  wild  animals  from  digging  up  the  body. 

"Church  services  in  the  early  days  of  Putnam  county  were  held  princi- 
pally at  camp-meetings  and  occasionally  in  the  primitive  school  houses,  there 
being  no  meeting  houses.  At  one  time  a  very  strong  and  noted  preacher  held 
protracted  meeting  in  the  school  house.  He  awakened  a  deep  interest  among 
the  settlers,  which  in  some  cases  has  left  its  imprint  to  this  day.  While  in 
attendance  at  one  of  the  meetings.  Uncle  Tommy  saw  a  woman  run  up  into 
the  pulpit  to  receive  what  was  called  a  'holy  kiss'  from  the  preacher,  a  cere- 
mony A\hich.  if  in  practice  at  this  day.  would  speedily  result  in  an  overcrowded 
ministry-. 

"The  earlv  grist-mills  were  vers-  clumsy  affairs,  being  run  by  water  and 
in  some  cases  horse  power.  One  of  these  mills  stood  on  the  banks  of  Deer 
creek  a  short  distance  south  of  where  Mr.  Carmel  church  was  erected  in  later 
years.  It  was  owned  and  operated  by  Samuel  Hazlett.  Sometimes  the  miller 
was  so  overcrowded  with  grists  that  he  would  ha\e  to  place  tallow  dips  in 
different  parts  of  the  mill  so  as  to  run  at  night.  Stores,  even  of  the  usual 
country  \arietv.  had  not  yet  found  a  place  in  the  clearing,  for  on  one  occasion 
Uncle  Tommv  was  forced  to  ride  to  Bloomington  to  buy  a  little  coffee  for 
his  own  use.  He  often  accompanied  James  Woods,  who  was  a  noted  hunter, 
in  search  of  wild  honey.  On  one  of  these  expeditions  he  underwent  an  ex- 
perience, common  enough  in  that  day.  but  one  which  forever  dispels  the 
readilv  accepted  illusion  that  tight  shoes  and  the  mi.sery  thereof  fell  entirely 
upon  a  later  generation.  He  had  worn  a  pair  of  deer-skin  moccasins,  but 
they  became  so  tight  from  continually  wading  through  the  water,  which  stood 
in  pools  even-where,  that  when  he  returned  home  it  was  necessaiy  to  cut  them 
off  his  feet  with  a  knife. 

"Moccasins  in  that  dav  were  frequently  made  with  wooden  soles.  In 
the  sumn:er  season  thev  were  ven-  satisfactory,  but  when  the  snows  of  winter 
fell  they  were  decidedly  inconvenient.  The  snow  w  ould  keep  clogging  up  on 
the  wooden  soles,  becoming  thicker  and  thicker,  and  with  each  step  the  wearer 
rose  in  the  air  higher  and  higher  until  suddenly  and  without  notice  the  mocca- 
sin would  lose  its  burden  and  the  owner  drop  down  sideways  or  plunge  head- 
long forward. 


PLT.VAM     COl'NTY,    INDIANA.  73 

"The  horses  of  tlie  settlers — fences  Ijeing  ahnost  unknown — were  hob- 
bled to  keep  tliem  from  getting  o\'er  the  logs  and  straying  off  into  the  wilder- 
ness. The  hoijbling  was  accomplished  by  tying  the  hind  feet  of  the  animal 
together.  One  day  Uncle  Tommy's  horse  strayed  off  into  the  forest  and  he 
and  his  neighbor.  James  Woods,  set  out  in  search  of  him.  Before  they  had 
gone  very  far  they  came  uiK)n  a  hear  cub  sitting  or  lying  on  top  of  a  stump. 
Woods  at  once  turned  about  to  hasten  home  for  his  rifle.  Just  then  there 
was  a  terrific  scratching  in  a  hollow  tree  nearby  and  presently  the  head  of  the 
old  hear  appeared  at  the  top.  As  soon  as  the  old  animal  espied  the  woodmen 
she  flrew  in  her  head  and  came  tearing  down.  She  reared  up  on  her  hind 
feet  and  waddled  belligerently  toward  the  men.  ^Vith  the  quick  sense  of 
prompt  action  which  life  on  the  frontier  seems  to  create.  Woods  jerked  an 
axe  out  of  the  hands  of  EHck  Miller,  a  man  who  had  meanwhile  joined  the 
hunters,  and  speedily  despatched  the  old  bear  and  three  of  her  cubs. 

'"On  another  occasion  Uncle  Tommy  had  gone  over  to  Amos  Robertson's 
house  to  get  a  bushel  of  salt.  Robertson  had  made  it  his  business  to  haul 
salt  to  the  new  settlement  from  the  Ohio  river.  Xearing  the  forks  of  Eel. 
his  horse  shied  at  something  ahead  in  the  pathway,  when  suddenlv  a  large 
animal  ran  across  and  disappeared  into  a  thicket.  Uncle  Tommy  took  it  to 
be  a  hog.  Xed  Rogers  coming  along.  Uncle  Tommy  told  him  what  he  had 
seen.  In  a  short  time  Rogers  reappeared  with  his  dogs  and  gun  and  ere  long 
they  came  ui)on  the  animal  lying  behind  a  log.  Rogers  at  once  fired  at  him. 
but  his  aim  was  too  high  and  the  bear  started  to  mn.  At  this  moment  Dr. 
A.  C.  Stevenson,  who  was  passing  by.  heard  the  noise  and  rode  up.  Learning 
\vhat  had  occiuTed.  the  Doctor  set  out  after  the  bear  and  presently  caught 
up  with  him.  The  dogs  were  snapping  and  biting  at  the  big  animal,  who 
would  endure  it  for  a  time  and  then  rear  up  on  his  hind  feet  and  fall  back- 
wards in  the  hope  that  his  weight  would  crush  some  of  the  irritating  dogs. 
The  battle  continued  thus  with  varying  success  until  a  man  named  Owens, 
\\  ho  had  joined  the  party,  drew  his  rifle  and  despatched  the  bear." 

THE   SPIRIT    OF    THE    PIONEERS. 

Looking  back,  it  is  hard  for  us  to  belie\-e  that  our  forefathers  could  be 
induced  to  lea\e  conifortai)le  homes  in  Kentucky,  Tennessee.  North  Caro- 
lina and  el-e\\hei"e.  knowing  the  pri\ations  that  awaited  them  in  the  une.x- 
plored  regions  of  central  Indiana.  But  there  is  and  always  has  been  in  the 
heart  of  man  a  restless  desire  to  penetrate  the  new  countries  and  no  danger, 
no  hardship,  has  ever  been   found   formidable  enough  to  deter  the  voung. 


74 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


hardy  and  venturesome  emigrant  who  sets  out  for  the  land  of  promise.  That 
same  spirit  prompted  the  early  navigators  to  cross  the  seas  and  scale  the 
mountains  and  it  will  incite  future  generations  to  further  deeds  of  daring  and 
conquest  till  every  part  of  the  habitable  globe  shall  have  been  peopled. 

"I  left  Tennessee  with  my  wife  and  two  children,"  relates  an  old  Put- 
nam county  settler,  "with  all  my  worldly  goods  in  a  cart  drawn  by  one  horse. 
On  the  wav  my  money  gave  out  and  I  was  forced  to  sell  the  cart  and  pack 
the  goods  on  the  horse,  my  wife  riding  with  one  child  in  her  lap  and  the  other 
behind  her;  I  walked  and  led  the  horse.  In  this  way  I  reached  Indiana  in 
1 82 1.  I  stopped  for  a  time  in  Washington  county  to  earn  a  little  money  be- 
fore coming  to  Putnam  county.  At  first  I  had  a  hard  time  uf  it,  frequently 
walking  several  miles  a  day  to  work  at  fifty  cents  a  day  to  procure  corn  for 
bread  and  seed.  In  a  few  years  I  was  able  to  raise  a  crop  and  gradually  ac- 
quire more  land. 

CL.MM   CLUBS. 

"There  was  a  kind  of  freemasonry  among  the  old  settlers.  They  formed 
themselves  into  clubs,  the  workings  of  which  were  known  only  to  themselves. 
They  had  their  regular  officers  and  their  law  was  extreme  against  all  intruders 
on  their  claims.  Sometimes  innocent  persons  were  injured  by  these  clubs, 
but  they  had  their  choice — to  join  the  club  and  become  acquainted  with  the 
wav  of  working  or  give  up  their  land.  Here  are  some  of  the  by-laws  of  these 
claim-clubs  which  e.xisted  in  Putnam  county  and  which  many  old  pioneers 
will  recognize : 

"  'Whereas,  self-protection  and  the  peaceable  possession  of  property  are 
essential  to  the  happiness  and  prosperity  of  the  people,  and  whereas  reckless 
claim-jumpers  and  invidious  wolves  in  human  form  are  prowling  through  the 
country  for  the  purpose  of  robbing  the  settlers  of  their  claims  and  of  the 
means  of  support,  therefore  be  it  resolved. 

■'  ■(  i)  That  we  pledge  ourselves  to  protect  every  member  of  this  club 
in  his  rights  of  claim  as  against  the  presumption  of  adverse  parties,  without 
fear  of  the  world,  the  flesh  or  the  devil. 

"■(2)  That  no  person  shall  be  allowed  to  pre-empt  or  to  purchase 
from  the  government  any  claim  of  a  member  of  this  club  without  the  un- 
equivocal consent  of  the  member. 

"'(3)  That  the  filing  of  any  intention  to  pre-empt  in  contravention 
of  the  right  of  any  member  hereof  shall  be  regarded  as  an  attempt  to  deprive 
one  member  of  his  rights  under  the  eternal  fitness  of  things  and  we  pledge 


PUTNAM     COUNTY,    INDIANA.  75 

ourselves  one  to  another  to  meet  the  offenders  on  the  home  stretch,  with  logic 
of  hfe  or  death. 

"  '(4)  That  a  committee  of  three  be  chosen  whose  duty  shall  be  to 
hear  and  adjust  any  disputes,  evasions  or  disagreements  that  may  arise  with 
members  of  this  club  or  any  case  where  claims  of  members  are  in  dispute 
with  outside  adverse  claimants  of  any  character  whatever. 

"  '(5)  That  we  pledge  ourseh'es  to  sustain  and  uphold  our  committees 
in  the  performance  of  their  several  duties  and  to  enforce  their  decisions  and 
adjudications  to  the  very  letter  with  force  and  arms  if  necessary. 

"  '(6)  That  a  cordial  invitation  is  hereby  extended  to  every  citizen  of 
the  county  to  sign  these  by-laws  and  assist  in  their  faithful  execution  and  en- 
forcement." " 

The  enforced  exclusion  from  the  outside  world  did  not  sadden  the  hearts 
of  the  early  settlers  or  imbue  them  with  melancholy  reflections.  Their  spirits 
never  drooped.  They  were  happy  rather  than  hopeless,  co-operating  with 
each  other  in  every  undertaking.  This  harmony  of  purpose  and  unity  of  ac- 
tion drew  theiu  together  in  a  bond  so  strong  and  unyielding  that  the  very 
foundations  of  society  are  now  built  upon  it.  They  realized  that,  as  they 
sowed,  posterity  would  reap. 

SOCIAL    CONDITIONS. 

"Their  long  isolation  from  outside  society,"  writes  one  who  was  him- 
self an  early  settler,  " frequently  not  seeing  any  one  outside  of  their  own  fam- 
ilies for  months,  had  caused  a  sort  of  bash  fulness  in  the  presence  of  strangers, 
which  in  some  cases  was  never  fully  recovered  from.  But  amongst  them- 
selves, the  feeling  of  jovially  and  sociability  fairly  boiled  over  and  their  many 
social  meetings  frequently  became  enthusiastic  and  genial  in  the  highest  de- 
gree. 

"I  remember  once  of  visiting  a  family  in  Putnam  county  that  had  seven 
daughters.  On  visiting  the  same  family  some  years  later  and  seeing  none 
of  the  girls,  I  inquired  what  had  become  of  them.  The  father  informed  me 
that  he  had  married  them  off  on  the  'buckwheat  straw  principle."  That  is, 
when  he  wished  the  cattle  to  eat  his  straw,  if  he  saw  them  anywhere  about 
he  would  set  the  dogs  on  and  drive  them  off.  He  said  it  wouldn't  be  long 
I^efore  they  would  slip  around  and  eat  it  all  up.  He  had  applied  the  same 
principle  in  marrying  off  his  daughters.  When  a  young  man  came  to  see 
them  who  was  bright  and  he  thought  would  make  a  good  husband  he  would 
'go  for"  him  and  tell  him  he  couldn't  come  to  see  his  girls.  It  wouldn't  be 
long  l)efore  they  would  get  up  a  correspondence,  meet  in  the  neighborhood 


j6  weik's  history  of 

and  make  a  match.     The  father  always  reluctantly  gave  his  consent.      In  this 
wav  the  daughters  were  all  married  off  and  well  settled  in  life." 

Life  on  the  frontier,  however,  had  its  redeeming  features.  The  men 
were  universally  vigorous  and  gifted  with  fine  constitutions.  There  were 
none  of  the  diseases  that  now  afflict  us  and  which  are  due  to  our  superheated 
houses,  lack  of  ventilation  and  over-indulgence  in  rich  food.  Their  amuse- 
ments, though  not  so  varied  as  the  recreation  we  enjoy  today,  were  none  the 
less  refreshing  and  appropriate.  Their  music  was  the  hum  of  the  spinning 
wheel  and  the  loom  and  they  were  lulled  to  sleep  by  the  hoot  of  the  owl  and 
the  sighing  of  the  wind  through  the  forest. 

"When  newcomers  arri\'ed,"  relates  an  old  settler,  "they  generally 
stopped  with  relations  or  former  friends  until  they  could  select  claims  and 
build  their  own  cabins.  I  remember  one  instance  in  which  a  cabin  was  oc- 
cupied by  four  families  at  the  same  time  and  in  addition  was  the  stopping 
place  for  travelers  and  land-hunters.  So  it  will  be  seen  that  the  house  was 
crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity.  When  bed  time  arrived  the  first  family 
would  take  the  back  part  of  the  cabin  and  so  filling  up  by  families  until  the 
limit  was  reached.  The  young  men  slept  in  the  wagons  outside.  In  the 
morning  those  nearest  the  door  arose  first  and  went  outside  to  dress.  Meals 
were  served  on  the  hind  end  of  a  wagon  and  consisted  of  corn  bread,  butter- 
milk, fat  pork  and  occasionally  hot  coffee  to  take  away  the  morning  chill. 
On  Sunday  they  had  a  change,  bread  made  out  of  wheat,  trod  by  horses  on 
the  ground,  cleaned  with  a  sheet  and  ground  with  the  com  cracker  by  hand. 
This  was  the  best  the  most  particular  could  obtain  and  this  only  one  day  in 
seven.  In  giving  this  bill-of-fare  I  should  have  added  meat,  of  which  they 
had  plenty.  Deers  could  be  seen  daily  trooping  through  the  woods  and  wild 
turkeys  without  number.     Bears  were  not  uncommon. 

"Doctors  were  rather  scarce  and  as  a  general  rule  the  people  did  their 
own  doctoring,  or  some  handy,  accommodating  person  in  the  neighborhood 
who  had  learned  from  wider  experience  a  little  more  of  the  common  ailments 
of  the  human  system,  as  also  the  most  natural  relief  for  them,  stood  always 
ready  to  give  the  benefit  of  their  superior  knowledge  and  timely  advice  with- 
out cost  to  all  the  afflicted  ones  who  called  for  their  aid. 

"On  account  of  the  condition  of  the  roads,  traveling  was  done  principal- 
ly on  horseback.  The  value  of  a  family  horse  was  estimated  according  to 
the  number  he  could  carry.  When  the  family  increased  beyond  the  capacity 
of  his  back  there  were  always  some  by  that  time  who  could  walk. 

"All  the  money  that  was  brought  to  Putnam  county  to  purchase  land 
and  stock  was  in  currency  and  was  paid  out  in  large  amounts.     It  was  kept 


PUTNAM    COUNTY.    INDIANA. 


77 


by  the  farmers  without  tear  of  robbers.  It  is  related  by  Anhur  McGaughey 
that  after  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  county  he  was  in  the  habit  of  putting  all 
the  money  he  received  in  one  of  his  wife's  blue  stockings  and  keeping  it  under 
the  bed.  When  remonstrated  with  by  a  neighbor  for  his  carelessness  with 
the  funds  intrusted  to  his  care,  he  answered  :  'Tut.  tut,  man ;  there  is  no 
vault  in  America  as  safe  as  my  wife's  stocking.'  " 

AN    INTERESTING    REMINISCENCE. 

Though  not  conforming  to  chronological  sequence  or  otherwise  adhering 
to  any  particular  order  of  presentation,  yet  as  a  faithful  and  vivid  reproduc- 
tion of  frontier  life  nothing  can  be  more  illuminative  or  impressive  than  the 
reflections  of  an  early  settler  in  Putnam  county.  J.  D.  Carter,  who  subsequent- 
ly moved  to  the  west.  His  reminiscences,  printed  in  one  of  our  county  papers, 
are  of  such  real  historic  value  the  liberty  is  taken  of  reproducing  portions  of 
the  same  here. 

"All  the  experience  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Putnam  county."  he  relates, 
"goes  far  to  confirm  the  theory  that  happiness  is  pretty  evenly  balanced  in  this 
world.  They  had  their  own  privations  and  hardships,  but  thev  also  had  their 
own  peculiar  joys.  .A.  common  interest  and  a  common  sympathv  bound  them 
together  with  the  strongest  ties.  Neighbors  didn't  wait  for  an  invitation  to 
help  each  other.  If  there  was  a  house-raising  or  a  log-rolling,  they  came  with 
as  much  alacrity  as  if  they  were  all  members  of  the  same  familv,  bound  to- 
gether by  the  ties  of  blood.  The  nature  of  their  environments  taught  these 
earl}'  settlers  to  dwell  together  in  this  manner;  it  was  their  only  protection. 
They  had  come  far  aw  ay  from  the  well  established  reign  of  law  and  entered 
a  new  countr}-.  Each  man's  protection  was  in  the  good  will  of  those  about 
him  and  the  thing  any  man  might  well  dread  w  as  the  ill-w  ill  of  the  communitv. 
It  was  more  terrible  than  the  law. 

"Brazil  Pursell  was  one  of  the  men  who  reached  Putnam  countv  before 
I  did.  He  was  there  on  a  prospecting  and  hunting  excursion  before  Green- 
castle  had  been  selected  as  the  county  seat.  He  and  John  Leroy  on  one  oc- 
casion treed  and  finally  captured  a  half-grown  black  bear.  After  a  pro- 
tracted struggle,  in  which  Leroy's  hands  and  face  were  more  or  less  lacerated 
the  latter  succeeded  in  binding  his  captive  and  taking  him  in  triumph  into 
camp.  Subsequently  he  passed  through  Greencastle  with  his  pet  on  his  wav 
to  the  far  West,  but  that  place  was  a  mere  hamlet,  there  being  but  a  few  log 
cabins  about  the  court  house  s([uare.  Leroy  was  fond  of  telling  the  reason 
why  breakfast  was  late  one  morning  during  his  stay  in  Greencastle.     The 


78  vveik's  history  of 

landlord  had  for  some  time  realized  that  his  larder  was  growing  empty,  but 
was  in  hourly  expectation  of  supplies.  The  evening  before  the  pantry  had 
become  bankrupt,  but  the  host  was  in  hopes  his  team  would  come  with  pro- 
visions before  morning.  But  hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick.  At  early 
dawn  the  landlord  looked  wistfully  in  the  direction  he  expected  his  wagon, 
but  in  vain.  Finallv  he  mounted  a  horse  and  rode  to  a  house  down  the  road 
where  he  secured  some  meal  and  a  half  side  of  bacon  and  immediately  re- 
turned home.  The  half-dozen  hungry  boarders  sat  in  front  of  the  log  build- 
ino-  pining  for  the  flesh  pots  of  civilization  and  soon  their  spirits  arose  and 
their  mouths  began  to  water.  Far  away  to  the  northwest  came  the  landlord 
riding  like  a  jehu  holding  aloft  the  half-side  of  bacon  as  a  sign  of  relief. 

"Mr.  Pursell  attended  one  of  the  first  weddings  in  the  county.  The 
father  of  the  bride  spent  several  days  riding  about  among  the  settlers  in  order 
to  obtain  flour  enough  to  make  the  wedding-cake.  He  was  unsuccessful  and 
returned  home  much  disappointed ;  but  the  bride  and  her  brother  were  equal 
to  the  emergency.  They  pounded  com  in  a  mortar  dug  out  in  the  top  of  a 
stump,  the  pounding  being  done  with  an  iron  wedge  attached  to  a  pole  which 
in  turn  was  fastened  to  a  sweep.  Of  the  com  pounded  in  this  way  the  finest 
was  taken  for  the  wedding  cake  which,  when  sweetened  with  maple  sugar 
and  properly  baked,  was  highly  relished  by  the  guests. 

"It  is  strange  with  what  pride  the  pioneers  speak  of  their  old  log  cabins. 
I  doubt  if  there  was  ever  a  happier  people  than  those  sheltered  by  them. 
With  equal  pride  they  speak  of  the  one-legged  bedstead,  a  piece  of  furniture 
long  since  obsolete.  It  was  made  of  poles  fastened  into  holes  of  the  required 
size  bored  into  the  logs  of  the  cabin.  If  set  up  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  as 
was  often  done,  but  one  leg  was  required.  Upon  these  poles  clap-boards 
were  laid  or  linn  bark  interwoven  from  pole  to  pole.  Upon  this  primitive 
structure  the  bed  lav.  The  convenience  of  a  cook  stove  was  not  to  be  thought 
of;  but  instead  the  cooking  was  done  by  the  faithful  wife  in  pots,  kettles  and 
skillets  in  and  about  the  big  fireplace  and  very  frequently  over  and  around  the 
distended  pedal  extremities  of  the  lord  of  the  household  while  he  was  indulg- 
ing in  the  luxury  of  a  cob-pipe  and  discussing  the  probable  result  of  a  con- 
templated deer  hunt  up  Big  Walnut. 

"The  mention  of  hunting  reminds  me  of  an  incident  which  happened 
during  one  of  my  excursions  into  the  wilds  in  quest  of  game.  I  was  ac- 
companied by  Samuel  McNary-  and  when  we  were  several  miles  southeast  of 
Bainbridge  we  noticed  a  queer  looking  heap  in  the  woods  not  far  from  our 
path.  On  approaching,  we  found  to  our  dismay  that  beneath  the  mound  of 
leaves  and  bark  with  his  head  and  face  only  visible  lay  the  form  of  a  little 


PUTNAM     COUXTY,    IXDIAXA.  79 

boy.  Remox'iiig  the  covering,  we  found  him  entirely  nude  save  for  a  few 
rags  around  his  neck  and  waist.  Life  being  not  extinct,  we  proceeded  to 
divest  ourselves  of  what  wraps  we  could  spare,  for  it  was  a  cold,  chilly  day, 
and  then  took  turns  in  carrying  him  to  Bainbridge,  where  I  secreted  him  in 
my  harness  shop  until  I  borrowed  some  clothing  from  Aunt  Milly  Damall. 
Meanwhile  I  reported  to  the  overseers  of  the  poor,  who  were  James  O'Hair 
and  John  Cooper.  They  bound  the  boy  over  to  me  till  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  He  was  so  emaciated  that  the  bones  in  some  places  protruded 
through  the  skin  and  the  wonder  is  that  he  survived.  I  raised  and  educated 
him  and  he  became  a  useful  man.  Later  investigation  proved  that  he 
^vas  descended  from  a  good  family  on  his  mother's  side.  She  being  dead, 
his  father,  through  dissipation  and  lost  to  every  feeling  of  humanity,  suffered 
the  woman  with  whom  he  was  living  to  drive  the  children  from  home.  Sub- 
sequently two  others  were  found  and  bound  out. 

"Raising  a  crop  the  first  year  was  an  absolute  necessity  for  the  early  set- 
tler. The  failure  of  a  crop  meant  more  to  him  then  than  at  anv  time  after- 
ward. I  have  seen  a  man  cut  down  elm  and  linn  trees  so  that  the  cattle  might 
feed  on  the  buds  in  order  to  get  them  through  the  long  winter.  In  that  case 
the  man  had  arrived  late  in  the  fall  and  had  been  unable  to  secure  feed,  hence 
the  necessity  of  turning  the  stock  out  to  browse.  In  this  way  many  of  the 
settlers  who  came  in  late  succeeded  in  bringing  their  stock  through  the  winter. 
But  they  could  not  ha\e  endured  the  siege  much  longer,  as  thev  found  in  the 
spring  that  there  was  not  much  more  vitality  than  was  necessarv'  on  the 
part  of  the  dumb  brutes  to  enable  them  to  get  around  and  graze  upon  the  new 
grass  sufficiently  to  recruit  their  ^\•asted  bodies. 

"Money  was  so  scarce  that  but  few  of  the  newly-arrived  immigrants 
had  more  than  enough  to  secure  their  lands.  They  devoted  their  time  and 
energies  to  clearing  land  and  assisting  each  other  in  building  cabins  and  roll- 
ing logs  in  the  winter  and  spring  months.  It  was  often  the  case  that  after 
preparing  the  ground  ready  for  the  plow  they  would  find  their  horses  had 
strayed  away,  they  having  been  turned  loose  to  graze  that  the  corn  might  be 
saved  to  feed  while  they  were  worked.  Horses  going  astray  frequently  be- 
came a  serious  matter.  Owing  to  the  sparsely  settled  condition  of  the  country- 
it  was  almost  useless  to  make  iiKjuiry.  It  was  a  well-established  fact  that  when 
a  horse  tried  to  return  to  the  country  from  which  it  was  brought  he  took  a 
direct  line,  paying  no  attention  to  roads  or  improvements  if  possible  to  o^et 
through,  often  climbing  and  descending  bluff's  which  sometimes  seem 
impassable. 


8o  '  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

"After  spending  days  and  sometimes  weeks  in  the  fruitless  search  for 
their  strav  animals,  the  pioneers  would  return  to  find  their  families  almost 
destitute  for  want  of  food.  In  such  cases  they  never  appealed  to  their  more 
fortunate  neighbors  in  vain.  They  often  realized  the  beautiful  saying  of  our 
Savior,  'It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.'  It  was  not  uncommon  in 
such  cases  of  misfortune  that  the  families  were  compelled  to  live  on  bread 
and  milk.  The  wild  onion  or  ramp,  so  common  at  that  time,  was  thj  first 
\egetation  in  the  spring  and  was  eaten  by  the  cows,  causing  their  milk  to  be 
unfit  for  use.  These,  with  many  other  annoyances  common  to  a  new  country, 
caused  some  to  become  discouraged  and  leave  the  .country,  but  they  were 
generally  of  that  class  who  'go  back  to  their  wives'  folks.' 

"Some  left  and  returned  again.  John  Fosher,  who  lived  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county  and  who  never  knew  a  person  too  poor  to  credit  for  a  sack 
of  corn  meal,  proposed  to  give  those  who  wished  to  leave  five  bushels  of  meal 
if  they  would  agree  to  give  him  ten  bushels  of  corn  should  they  return.  Many 
accepted  this  offer.  Mr.  Kosher  informed  me  that  enough  had  returned  and 
'acknowledged  the  corn'  to  more  than  remunerate  him  for  all  that  he  had 
given. 

"The  agricultural  implements  of  the  early  settlers  were  much  in  contrast 
with  those  of  the  present  time.  The  only  plows  they  had  were  what  they 
styled  'cork-screws.'  The  mold-boards  were  of  wood.  Some  say  they 
would  kick  a  man  over  the  fence  and  kick  at  him  three  times  after  he  was 
over.  The  old  'cork-screw'  plows  did  good  service  and  must  be  awarded 
the  honor  of  first  stirring  the  soil  of  Putnam  county.  It  was  quite  a  time 
before  the  introduction  of  the  groimd-hog  threshing  machine.  I  have  always 
wondered  whv  thev  were  not  adopted  as  an  implement  of  war.  for  they  cer- 
tainly would  have  been  formidable  at  short  range  to  blind  the  advancing  col- 
umns by  throwing  wheat  in  their  eyes.  There  was  no  attachment  for  separat- 
ing the  wheat  from  the  chaff.  It  was  put  in  bins  and  cleaned  at  leisure  by 
sheet  or  wind-mill.  Corn  was  gathered  by  snapping  it  from  the  stalk  and 
throwing  it  on  the  ground,  then  gathering  up  by  hand  and  putting  it  into 
a  sledge  or  wagon  and  then  it  was  hauled  to  some  smooth  place  on  the  farm 
and  thrown  into  a  rick,  after  which  all  the  neighbors  would  be  invited  to  the 
husking,  when  they  would  proceed  to  husk  and  throw  it  in  a  pile,  .preparatory 
to  being  hauled  to  the  cril)  and  thrown  in  by  hand.  There  was  no  such  thing 
as  a  scoop-shovel  to  handle  the  grain  with  at  that  time.  I  suppose  the  labor 
performed  in  gathering  the  corn  at  present  wages  would  have  cost  more  than 
the  corn  was  worth. 

"When  hogs  were  sold  they  were  weighed  in  the  old-fashioned  steelyard 
scales.     Thev  were  weighed  by  taking  the  breeching  off  the  horses  and  sus- 


t  PUTNAM    COU-N'TV.    IXDIAXA.  8l 

pending  the  hogs  in  it  one  at  a  time  while  they  were  weighed.  flie  price  was 
one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  per  hundred  pounds  for  the  best.  They  were 
driven  on  foot  to  some  market  on  the  Ohio  river.  The  greatest  loss  I  ever 
knew  to  be  sustained  by  stock  men  in  Putnam  county  was  when  they  paid 
the  above  price  for  hogs.  .\  number  of  years  after^vard  they  used  for  weigh- 
ing the  old  fashioned  beams  with  a  bo.K  to  put  the  hog  in.  It  never  entered 
their  minds  to  balance  against  the  l)ox.  but  they  subtracted  the  weight  of  the 
box  from  every  hog.  as  they  did  the  breeching,  and  when  the  present  stock 
scales  were  first  introduced  I  have  known  men  to  drive  five  miles  to  weigh  in 
the  box  because  the  weigh-master  failed  to  subtract  the  platform  and  frame 
around  it  from  the  weight  of  the  hogs.  So  you  will  see  that  the  old  saying 
that  our  forefathers  carried  a  stone  in  one  end  of  the  sack  and  the  com  in  the 
other  is  about  true  after  all. 

"The  young  man  or  v>oman  of  today,  enjoying  the  blessings  and  com- 
forts of  a  modern  home,  can  scarcely  appreciate  the  tender  and  tearful  leave- 
takings  with  which  the  pioneers  left  their  cheerful  and  inviting  homes  in 
Kentucky  for  the  new  and  unexplored  lands  of  Putnam  county.  Though 
years  ha\e  come  and  gone,  the  memory  of  the  relatives  and  friends  who 
followed  us  to  the  turn  in  the  lane  will  never  be  forgotten.  Brave,  self- 
sacrificing  men  and  women  were  they  who,  severing  the  ties  of  home  and 
kindred,  set  out  for  the  perils  and  privations  of  pioneer  life  in  the  wilderness. 
I  recall  vi\idly  the  arrival  of  the  immigrants  who  came  in  wagons,  horse- 
back, on  foot  and  in  every  conceivable  shape.  I  shall  never  forget  the  dark 
and  ho()eless  outlook  when  I  reached  Putnam  county  on  that  drearv  morning 
in  March.  I  had  spent  the  night  in  Greencastle.  and  set  out  on  foot  the  next 
morning  for  my  destination  in  Bainbridge.  It  had  been  snowing  all  night 
and  I  had  made  a  very  early  start.  In  the  gray  of  the  morning,  just  as  the 
last  notes  of  the  night-owl  had  faded  away  in  the  distance.  I  passed  the 
Seybol(^  place.  The  heavy  snow  having  bent  the  boughs  of  the  trees  across 
the  road,  it  had  the  appearance  of  a  tunnel.  I  entereil  it  almost  in  darkness 
and  walked  on  in  silence  until  I  reached  .Amos  Robertson's,  now  the  Crow 
place.  There  I  saw  the  smoldering  fires  of  some  log  heaps  being  replenished 
with  brush  and  heard  the  music  of  an  axe  as  it  felled  the  timber  and  I 
sniffed  the  savory  bacon  as  it  his.sed  and  curled  in  the  frying  pan.  Afrs. 
Robertson  soon  dished  up  a  toothsome  breakfast  from  their  scanty  supplv, 
spicing  it  with  some  costly  morsel  from  the  store.  Coffee,  bacon  and  slap- 
jacks were  soon  disposed  of.  No  forbidding  pile  of  daintv  dishes  to  be 
pantried    away — just   a    few   tin   cups,   pewter   plate  and    knives.      .\    tap   or 

(6) 


82  weik's  history  of 

t\\  o  knocks  the  coffee  groiiiuls  from  the  cups ;  a  wipe  cleans  the  cups  and 
knives.     Thus  the  morning  dishes  are  cleaned. 

"I  stopped  for  a  time  with  Abram  Hillis,  who  graphically  described 
the  eft'ects  of  a  hurricane  which  had  shortly  before  passed  through  the  county, 
tearing  up  trees  and  otherwise  destroying  property,  but  got  no  further  than 
Mr.  Marks'  place  where  I  had  spent  the  night.  The  next  morning,  having 
ao-ain  set  out  on  mv  journey,  I  discovered  a  man  lying  in  the  middle  of  the 
road  and  a  horse  nearby.  I  soon  discovered  that  the  man's  overcoat  was 
frozen  to  the  ground,  the  man  himself  having  evidently  fallen  from  his  horse 
before  it  began  to  freeze.  He  was  so  completely  imbedded  in  the  snow  and 
mud  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  I  was  able  to  pry  him  loose.  When 
aroused  from  his  stupor  he  took  some  whisky  which  he  had  not  yet  consumed 
and  I  helped  him  to  mount  his  horse  again.  He  certainly  w'ould  have  per- 
ished without  assistance.  It  has  always  been  a  mystery  to  me  why  that 
horse,  hungry  and  cold,  remained  with  his  master  throughout  the  night.  It 
could  only  have  been  due  to  the  guiding  hand  of  an  over-ruling  Providence, 
I  am  sure. 

"We  traveled  on  and  after  a  while  my  unfortunate  friend  began  to 
recover  himself.  In  one  place  we  encountered  an  immense  tree  which  had 
fallen  across  our  path  and  which  my  companion  said  had  killed  the  son  of 
Colonel  Piercv  while  carrving  the  mail  a  short  time  before;  also  that  some 
kind  of  a  disease  had  made  serious  inroads  among  the  people  and  that  every 
man  who  owned  or  occupied  land  along  that  road  from  Bainbridge  to  Green- 
castle,  with  the  exception  of  William  Randel,  had  passed  away — an  an- 
nouncement calculated  to  afford  solemn  and  serious  reflection  to  a  stranger 
about  to  pitch  his  tent  in  that  neighborhood.  I  finally  arrived  at  the  hurri- 
cane-visited spot,  about  one-half  mile  south  of  where  Bainbridge  now  is.  The 
destruction  of  timber  had  been  frightful.  The  track  of  the  hurricane  ap- 
peared to  be  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width  and  its  course  east  and  west. 
Scarcely  a  tree  was  standing  in  its  course.  By  night  I  reached  Bainbridge, 
a  hamlet  in  the  woods  which  contained  four  families  as  follows :  William 
T.  Damall,  ].  H.  Lucas.  Adam  Feather  and  Reuben  George.  Lucas  was  the 
big  man  of  the  place — landlord,  justice  of  the  peace,  postmaster,  merchant 
and  tanner. 

"As  is  invariablv  the  case  in  newly  settled  places  remote  from  the  great 
rivers  or  lines  of  communication,  the  price  of  stock,  grain  and  other  products 
was  invariablv  low  and  out  of  proportion  to  that  of  other  commodities. 
\'erv  often  after  reaching  the  large  trading  centers  the  settler  would  find 


PUTNAM     COUNTY.    INDIANA.  83 

an  unlooked-for  advance  in  tlie  price  of  what  he  expected  to  take  back  with 
him  and  the  market  glutted  with -the  kind  of  produce  he  had  to  sell.  I  well 
remember  three  of  my  neighbors  who  went  to  Lawrenceburg  only  to  find  an 
oversupply  of  grain.  Being  unable  to  find  a  customer,  they  almost  gave 
their  stocks  away  and  in  order  to  secure  the  necessaries  for  the  party,  two  of 
them  were  compelled  to  remain  and  work  a  week  in  a  distillery  in  order  to 
make  up  what  they  lacked  in  money.  Flour  was  unknown  at  first  and  meal 
scarce.  Meal  of  home  manufacture  was  made  by  pounding  boiled  corn  in  a 
sort  of  mortar  made  in  the  top  of  a  stump.  The  pounding  was  done  with  an 
iron  wedge  fastened  to  a  stick.  Various  other  contrivances  were  used.  Buck- 
wheat was  ground  in  coffee  mills.  In  this  way  flour  was  ground  for  many  a 
toothsome  flap-jack.  Meat,  of  course,  was  very  cheap.  Bazil  Pursell,  who 
helped  build  the  bridges  on  the  National  road  in  Putnam  county,  told  me  that 
in  1824  he  sold  a  wagon  load  of  jerked  or  Indian  smoked  venison  hams  in 
the  village  of  Greencastle  for  two  and  a  half  cents  per  pound. 

A  CHARIVARI. 

"When  visiting  Greencastle  in  early  times  I  stopped  with  John  Lynch, 
who  kept  a  tavern  on  the  west  side  of  the  public  square.  There  I  always  got 
good  corn  bread  of  Aunt  Lucretia's  baking,  who  could  put  to  shame  her 
modern  sisters  in  the  art.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  I  think  in  the  winter 
of  1835,  I  was  informed  by  Pleasant  S.  Wilson  that  there  was  to  be  a  chariv- 
ari in  town  that  night  in  honor  of  the  marriage  of  Robert  M.  Wingate  and 
Cynthia  Ash.  As  I  had  never  heard  of  such  a  thing  and  didn"t  wish  to  ex- 
pose my  ignorance  by  inquiry,  I  concluded  to  stay  and  hear  or  see  what  it 
might  be.  I  hadn't  long  to  wait  after  dark  before  the  sound  of  revelry  began. 
It  seemed  that  Bedlam  itself  had  been  let  loose.  I  repaired  at  once  to  the 
scene  of  disturbance.  The  figures  were  all  masked,  wearing  nail-kegs,  buckets 
antl  other  devices  on  their  heads.  In  order  to  give  the  reader  some  idea  of 
the  noise  and  confusion  they  created,  let  us  imagine  fifty  men  in  a  drunken 
revelry,  with  dumb  bulls,  drums,  horse  fiddles,  horns,  bells  and  tin  pans  being 
beaten,  blown,  rattled  and  commingled  with  their  demoniac  yells  and  the 
squealing  of  ducks,  geese  and  chickens,  with  a  cannon  fired  at  intervals,  vou 
then  have  a  faint  idea  of  that  charivari,  for  all  of  these  things  were  brought 
into  requisition  to  make  night  hideous.  I  soon  found  that  I  and  certain  others 
w^ere  intruders.  A  spy  came  around  with  something  on  his  head  like  a  tur- 
key with  a  long,  sharp  spike  for  a  beak  and  by  the  motion  of  his  head  he 
could  inflict  a  severe  wound,  as  Jim  Lynch  could  attest.     Thinking  discretion 


g^  weik's  history  of 

the  better  part  of  valor,  I  retired  to  bed.  there  to  hear  every  bed  post  bounced 
on  the  floor  bv  the  jar  of  the  cannon,  which  had  broken  many  panes  of 
glass  out  of  the  court  house  and  other  buildings.  On  hearing  people  assemb- 
ling in  the  room  below,  I  immediately  descended,  to  find  a  council  being  held 
by  the  better  class  of  citizens  to  devise  some  means  to  save  the  town.  It  was 
soon  decided  that  Reese  Hardesty  should  disguise  himself  in  P.  G.  Wilson's 
coat  and  cap  and  spike  the  cannon,  which  he  did.  But  the  crowd  soon  found 
it  out  and  Hardesty  had  to  make  his  escape  amidst  a  shower  of  brick-bats 
and  stones,  the  prints  of  which  remained  on  the  door  for  years.  Later  in  the 
night  the  enthusiasm  of  the  mob  began  to  wane  and  I  finally  returned  to  my 
bed.  resolved  that  I  would  never  again  be  caught  in  town  on  the  night  of  a 
charivari. 

THE    FIRST    OYSTER    SUPPER. 

"On  another  occasion,  after  the  advent  of  a  few  Yankees  into  the  county, 
an  ovster  supper  was  announced  to  take  place  at  the  hostelry  of  James 
Ricketts— Lhimself  a  Yankee4-on  the  west  side  of  the  court  house  square. 
Having  a  great  desire  to  see  and  taste  oysters,  which  I  had  never  seen  and  of 
which  I  had  often  heard  my  father  speak.  I  ventured  once  more  to  Green- 
castle  to  spend  the  night.  On  the  assembling  of  the  guests  it  was  found  that 
thev  had  no  more  oysters  than  would  supply  the  Yankees;  but  their  prolific 
minds  were  equal  to  the  emergency  and  they  forwith  proceeded  to  make 
cod-fish  soup  for  the  Hoosiers,  believing  that  the  latter  could  not  tell  the 
difiference.  which  proved  to  be  too  true;  for  not  one  of  those  present  save 
the  Yankees  had  ever  seen  or  tasted  an  oyster.  The  fraud  was  complete. 
We  Hoosiers  didn't  enjoy  the  feast  very  much  owing  to  the  fact  that  we 
thought  the  oysters  spoiled  by  their  long  transportation.  If  I  am  not  en- 
tirely correct  as  to  details,  I  am  sure  my  old  friend.  R.  L.  Hathaway,  may  be 
able  to  give  some  light  on  the  subject,  as  he  was  one  of  the  Yankees  present 
on  .that  occasion." 


CHAPTER  V. 


EDUCATION    IX    PUTNAM    COUNTY. 


In  extent  of  fertile  soil,  in  depth  of  mineral  deposits  and  certain  other 
natural  resources,  it  may  be  true  that  a  few  other  counties  have  surpassed 
Putnam,  but  in  well-ordered  morals,  in  all  the  elements  of  material  progress 
and  especially  in  the  advanced  steps  it  has  taken  in  the  matter  of  school  edu- 
cation she  easily  ranks  among  the  foremost  counties  in  the  state.  Who  taught 
the  first  school  or  where  the  first  school  house  in  each  township  was  located, 
can  not  now  in  every  instance  be  determined,  nor  is  that  infomiation  abso- 
lutely essential  to  a  correct  history  of  the  county.  We  know  that  very  soon 
after  the  organization  of  the  county — in  fact  before  the  county-seat  question 
was  fully  settled — schools  were  being  taught  in  at  least  two  different  places, 
and  as  the  newcomers  appeared  and  moved  up  the  streams  to  found  additional 
settlements,  the  physician,  who  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  earliest  arrivals 
in  every  community,  and  the  school  teacher  appeared  on  the  scene  almost  at 
the  same  time.  The  early  records  of  the  county  indicate  a  zealous  care  on  the 
part  of  the  county  commissioners  in  behalf  of  education.  The  fines  collected 
in  criminal  cases  were  turned  over  to  the  county  seminan.-  anrl  ever\-  effort 
was  made  to  encourage  and  stimulate  the  cause  of  education. 


COUNTY   SE.MINARY. 


The  records  at  the  court  house  show  that  an  order  was  issued  in  1830 
directing  John  Baird.  the  agent  for  the  town  of  Greencastle,  to  make  a 
"deed  of  gift  to  the  president  and  trustees  of  the  Greencastle  Seminary 
Society  for  the  use  of  said  society  of  lot  number  30  in  said  town.''  the  same 
lying  on  the  north  side  of  Washington  street,  between  Madison  and  Jefferson, 
and  now  occupied  by  the  residence  of  Granville  C.  Moore.  On  this  lot  a 
one-ston-  brick  was  built,  having  about  two  rooms,  and  which  for  the  time 
was  the  most  pretentious  structure  for  educational  purposes  in  the  countv. 
The  curriculum  was  the  conventional  course  of  instruction  in  the  earlv 
schools  of  Indiana:     "Readin".  writin'  and  cipherin'  to  the  Rule  of  Three." 


86  weik's  history  of 

The  records  show  a  pronounced  degree  of  interest  on  the  part  of  the  county 
commissioners,  who  held  the  agent  of  the  seminary  to  a  strict  accountabiHty. 
In  March,  1837,  it  was  "ordered  that  John  Thornburgh  (agent  for  the  Coun- 
ty Seminary)  be  authorized  to  permit  the  trustees  of  Indiana  Asbury  Univer- 
sity to  use  the  County  Seminary  for  three  years  on  condition  that  said  trustees 
loan  to  the  said  Thornburgh  the  sum  of  two  hundred  dollars  for  the  pur- 
pose of  furnishing  said  seminary — one  hundred  dollars  in  hand,  the  residue 
on  September  ist;  that  they  Will  keep  an  open  school  free  for  any  scholar  in 
Putnam  county  who  may  choose  to  avail  themselves  thereof  and  that  they 
will  regulate  their  school  so  as  to  have  ordinary  branches  of  English  educa- 
tion taught,  such  as  the  alphabet,  spelling,  reading  and  writing,  etc." 

The  County  Seminai-y  at  Greencastle  therefore  must  have  been  some- 
what in  advance  of  the  other  schools  in  the  county.  In  the  other  places  the 
rude  log  school  house  with  its  primitive  seats,  its  imperfect  light  and  its 
crude  curriculum,  held  sway,  but  it  only  laid  the  foundation  for  an  education ; 
for  with  the  limited  funds  in  the  hands  of  authorities  for  school  purposes 
and  the  poor  pay  of  the  teachers  but  little  more  could  be  expected.  Though 
nominally  kept  up  by  public  funds,  the  teacher  practically  had  to  look  to  the 
patrons  for  his  pay.  After  the  adoption  of  the  new  constitution,  in  185 1. 
taxes  for  school  purposes  began  to  be  levied  and  the  whole  educational  sys- 
tem took  a  great  stride  forward. 

FIRST  SCHOOL   BO.VRD. 

The  historv  of  the  schools  in  Greencastle.  as  set  forth  in  the  records 
of  the  school  board  of  that  city,  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  indication  of  the 
growth  and  development  of  the  school  system  in  other  parts  of  the  county. 
A  few  extracts  from  the  latter  record  may  not  be  without  interest.  On 
April  26,  1853.  John  Hanna.  mayor  of  the  town  of  Greencastle.  issued  to 
Delana  R.  Eckels.  Russell  L.  Hathaway  and  Daniel  Sigler  a  commission  as 
"Trustees  for  Schools  in  the  Town  of  Greencastle."  these  persons  having 
been  elected  bv  the  common  council.  The  Ijoard  of  trustees  met  and  selected 
D.  R.  Eckels  as  president.  Almost  the  first  item  of  business  was  an  order 
"that  the  graded  svstem  of  schools  be  adopted  for  the  town."  Further  pro- 
ceedings were  as  follows : 

"It  has  been  ordered  that  the  number  and  classification  of  schools  for  the 
present  vear  shall  be  as  follows:  Four  primary  schools,  one  of  which  shall 


PCTXAM     COLNTV,    INDIANA.  8/ 

be  in  the  first  ward,  one  in  tlie  third,  one  in  the  fourth  and  one  in  the  fifth, 
and  one  high  schc:>ol  in  the  County  Sennnary.  c(jnsi.sting  of  a  male  and  female 
department. 

"It  is  ordered  that  schools  shall  commence  on  the  ist  day  of  June  ne.xt 
antl  continue  two  months,  after  which  a  vacation  of  six  weeks,  and  that  the 
winter  session  shall  commence  on  the  15th  of  September,  and  the  summer 
session  on  the  ist  of  April  each  year,  each  session  being  four  and  a  half 
months  with  a  vacation  of  six  weeks  between  them. 

"It  is  ordered  that  the  county  auditor  audit  and  the  county  treasurer  pay 
over  to  the  treasurer  of  the  school  incorporation  the  amount  of  money  due 
the  town  from  the  public  fimd  and  that  proposals  be  published  in  the  three 
weekly  papers  of  the  town  for  eight  school  teachers." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board  held  June  4,  1853,  the  following  were  agreed 
upon  as  salaries  for  the  teachers:  "For  principal  in  the  male  department  of 
the  high  school,  thirty  dollars  per  month;  assistant  in  the  same  department, 
tw-enty  dollars  per  month;  principal  in  the  female  department  of  the  high 
school,  twenty  dollars  per  month  and  for  all  other  teachers,  fifteen  dollars 
per  month."  In  .March.  1S54,  the  school  trustees  ordered  that  the  school 
system  of  the  town  should  consist  of  two  high  schools,  one  grammar  school, 
two  reading  schools,  and  four  primary  schools,  with  a  slight  advance  in  the 
pay  of  the  teachers  as  follow  s :  ".Male  high  school,  thirty-five  dollars  per 
month;  feiuale  high  school,  thirty-five  dollars;  grammar  school,  twentv 
dollars;  primary  schools,  twenty  dollars." 

TROUBt.ES   OF   A   SCHOOL    DIRECTOR. 

In  185;  the  number  of  school  trustees  in  the  town  of  Greencastle  was 
reduced  from  three  to  one  and  Charles  W.  Moore,  who  had  shortly  before 
graduateil  from  Aslnny  University,  was  elected  to  fill  the  place.  A  report 
in  the  record  m  Mr.  Moore's  handw  riting  aH:'ords  us  a  rather  graphic  picture 
of  school  Conditions  in  (ireencastle  at  an  early  day  as  follows: 

"(jreencastle.  May  20.    18^5. 

"  1  he  schools  are  prospering  as  a  general  thing  very  w  ell.     Some  things, 

howe\er.  are   far   from  being  right.     The  houses  are  the  merest  apologies 

for  school  rooms.     There  is  not  a  single  building  in  the  town  as  it  ouo-fit  to 

be  either  in  regard  to  comfort  inside  or  beauty  outside.     There  ought  to  be 


88  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

several  neat  brick  houses  built,  properly  ventilated;  with  good  grounds  an- 
nexed, co\ere(l  with  shade  trees  and  flowers.  Then  the  school  room  would 
be  comfortable  and  the  pleasure  grounds  attractive.  Then  the  health  would 
be  preserved  and  the  head  and  heart  would  be  improved." 

At  this  time  schools  in  the  various  parts  of  the  town  were  in  the  most 
ca.ses  held  in  private  dwellings.  In  some  cases  the  teachers  allowed  their  own 
h(3mes  to  be  used  for  school  purposes  and  were  paid  suitable  rent  by  the 
school  trustee  and  in  others  even  church  dwellings  were  so  used.  Among 
other  buildings  utilized  by  the  authorities  of  this  period  was  the  old  Presby- 
'  terian  church  on  the  lot  at  the  corner  of  Jefferson  and  Columbia  streets  in 
the  west  part  of  the  city  and  now  occupied  by  the  heirs  of  the  late  William 
Haspel.  but  the  surroundings  were  not  calculated  to  promote  the  cause  of 
education,  as  the  following  report  by  the  trustees  seems  to  indicate : 

"July  lo,  1835. 

"At  the  old  Presbyterian  church  we  have  been  annoyed  exceedingly  by 
the  bad  boys  of  Greencastle.  They  from  time  to  time  have  broken  the  lights 
and  sash  out  of  the  windows;  they  have  broken  open  the  doors,  thereby  de- 
stroying the  locks,  and  having  entered,  they  have  broken  the  brooms,  benches 
and  blackboards  and  in  other  ways  have  defiled  the  room. 

"I  have  tried  to  have  the  law  redress  these  wrongs,  but  for  lack  of  a 
faithful  prosecution  bv  those  whose  duty  it  was  to  see  these  matters  made 
right  we  have  been  annoyed  all  term.  I  at  one  time  handed  to  the  mayor 
the  names  of  fifteen  or  twenty  bo\s  who  had  been  abusing  the  school  house 
and  its  appendages,  together  with  the  names  of  the  witnesses  by  whom  to 
pro\e  same.  A  dav  was  set  for  the  trial,  a  jury  selectetl  and  the  trial  duly 
entered  upon  in  the  case  of  a  portion  of  the  offenders,  but  through  ignorance 
of  the  prosecutor  the  jury  agreed  to  disagree  and  through  slothfulness  and 
disregard  of  dutv  of  the  prosecutor  all  the  offenders  were  set  free  and  with 
a  smile  pronounced  'Young  .Americans.'  'trundle  bed  trash."  etc..  thus  making 
them  worse  than  ever.  ^V'e.  however,  promise  all  men  that  we  will  break 
up  these  nocturnal  school  house  depredations  and  good  men  say.  'So  mote 
it  be."  " 

Rut  even  at  that  dav — 1855 — the  tenn  Free  Schools  was  more  or  less 
of  a  misnomer.  The  tax  levied  f'lr  school  purposes  was  entirely  inadequate 
and  the  result  was  a  serious  hindrance  to  the  successful  operation  of  the  new 
system,  as  the  followii^g  report  of  Trustee  Aloore.  dated  December  12.  1855. 
w  ill  indicate  : 


PLTXAM    COCNTV,    INDIANA.  89 

•it  was  my  design  to  have  the  second  term  of  the  puhhc  scliools  begin 
the  latter  part  of  November  and  for  this  purpose  I  had  the  houses  made 
comfortable  and  had  an  excellent  corps  of  teachers  secured,  but  the  council 
saw  tit  in  their  wisdom  to  have  subscription  schools  during  the  winter  and 
delay  the  free  schools  until  the  ist  of  March.  By  doing  this  some  of  the 
same  teachers  were  permitted  to  take  the  houses  and  teach  pay  schools  and 
obligated  themselves  to  return  the  houses  in  good  repair,  as  good  as  that  in 
which  they  received  them.  The  object  in  delaying  the  free  schools  is  to  get 
out  of  debt,  a  \ery  good  idea. 

'"C.  W.  MooRE." 

The  attendance  at  the  schools  of  Greencastle  in  1855,  as  shown  by  the 
record,  was  four  hundred  and  sixty-eight  pupils  in  the  common  schools  and 
ninety-two  in  the  high  schools,  a  total  of  five  hundred  and  sixty.  In  1856, 
under  the  administration  of  Reuben  S.  Ragan,  school  trustee,  it  is  shown 
that  "there  were  in  attendance  during  the  term,  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  male  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-fi\e  female  scholars,  a  total  of  three 
hundred  and  thirty-two,  indicating  a  "daily  attendance  of  about  one-third 
of  all  the  children  in  the  town  between  the  ages  of  five  and  twenty-one  years." 
There  are  n(5  further  figures  indicative  of  the  school  population  till  1861. 
An  enumeration  made  by  Mr.  Ragan  between  July  and  Septemlier  in  that 
year  of  all  children  between  five  and  twenty-one  years  shows  three  hundred 
and  twenty-six  males  and  three  hundred  and  sixty-three  females,  a  total  of 
six  hundred  and  eighty-nine.  The  average  per  family  was  two  and  one-half. 
The  highest  number,  eight,  was  returned  by  two  persons  only.  Dr.  Thomas 
Bowman,  president  of  Asbury  University,  and  A.  V.  Hough. 

The  commonly  accepted  notion  that  after  the  law  of  185 1  authorized 
the  levy  of  a  tax  for  school  purposes  the  public  school  swstem  went  forward 
without  further  delay  or  difficulty  is  a  great  popular  misconception.  Ten 
years  after  this  law  which  pretended  to  establish  free  schools  was  passed  the 
schools  were  anything  but  free,  as  the  following  statement  by  Trustee  R. 
S.  Ragan.  found  in  the  records  of  the  i)ublic  schools  of  Greencastle.  will 
indicate  : 

"On  the  6th  day  of  January.  1862,  I  called  a  meeting  of  the  legal  voters 
of  the  city  of  Greencastle  at  Tliomburgh"s  Hall  for  the  purpose  of  determ- 
ining when  i\xii  schools  should  commence.  A  notice  thereof  was  dulv  gi\-en 
in  the  Putnam  Rcf'ublicau  Banner,  a  newspaper  of  general  circulation  in  said 
city,  at  least  five  davs  previous. 


CO  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

"On  said  day  a  large  number  of  the  citizens  at  the  time  and  place  men- 
tioned assembled  and  after  due  deliberation,  on  motion  of  J.  F.  Jones,  the 
trustee  was  directed  to  postpone  free  schools  until  the  14th  day  of  April, 
1862,  which  was  accordingly  done.  Said  meeting  also  directed  the  trustee 
to  go  forward  and  secure  by  rent,  buildings  suitable  for  school  rooms,  prop- 
erly furnish  the  same  and  also  employ  teachers,  etc. 

"The  trustee,  after  having  ascertained  what  school  rooms  could  be 
secured  (the  city  having  no  school  rooms  of  its  own),  called  another  public 
meeting  at  the  court  house,  there  being  no  more  suitable  place  for  holding 
same,  on  the  4th  day  of  April.  1862.  at  which  time  a  veiy  large  number  of 
persons  assembled  and  the  trustee  laid  before  them  the  business  of  the  meet- 
ing. He  was  unanimously  directed  to  rent  the  Seminary  building,  the  Acad- 
emy building,  the  Fort,  as  it  is  called,  a  building  owned  by  Mr.  Gorrell,  Mrs. 
Johnson's  building  and  such  others  as  would  be  needed ;  fitting  the  same  up 
as  they  might  require." 

After  the  above  report  the  records  are  silent — in  fact  there  are  no 
records  after  1862  until  1866.  when,  under  the  efficient  management  of  the 
school  trustees,  whose  number  had  again  increased  to  three,  funds  were  now 
forthcoming  to  build  substantial,  modern,  brick  school  buildings.  The  build- 
ing in  the  second  ward  was  constructed  in  1867  and  soon  thereafter  followed 
the  erection  of  another  like  structure  in  the  first  ward,  which  last  building 
was  completed  in  1869.  Since  that  date  two  more  buildings  have  been 
erected  and  plans  are  now  being  made  looking  to  the  erection  of  a  high  school 
building,  larger  and  more  commodious  than  any  of  the  others. 

In  1867,  by  which  time  the  school  attendance  had  greatly  increased,  and 
the  schools  themselves  had  realh",  for  the  first  time,  been  graded,  it  was 
found  necessary  to  put  at  the  head  of  the  school  department  a  competent 
person  to  supervise  the  work  of  the  teachers  and  administer  the  educational 
affairs  of  the  city.  With  that  end  in  view,  the  board  of  school  trustees  on 
September  6.  1867.  selected  Greencastle's  first  superintendent  of  schools  in 
the  person  of  Gillum  Ridpath.  Professor  Ridpath  served  for  one  year,  being 
followed  in  .succession  by  S.  D.  Waterman.  E.  P.  Cole.  George  W.  Lee.  J.  N. 
Study.  T.  M.  Olcott.  Tames  Baldwin  and  R.  A.  Ogg.  Horace  G.  Woody,  the 
present  incumbent,  has  filled  the  office  since  1898.  There  are  seven  instruc- 
tors in  the  high  school,  and  thirteen  teachers  in  the  various  grafles.  The 
enumeration  of  school  children  in  1909  showed  a  school  population  in  the 
city  of  eight  hundred  and  seventy-two. 

That  the  schools  of  Greencastle  in  all  that  pertains  to  bettemient  of 
sanitary   conditions,    in    attendance,    discipline   and    the    incentive   to   higher 


PUTNAM     COUXTV,    INDIANA.  9I 

ideals  have  kept  pace  nith  the  best  schools  in  the  state  is  clearly  shown  in  a 
paper  recently  prepared  by  Prof.  H.  G.  Woody,  the  school  superintendent. 
After  alluding  to  the  advance  in  school  methods,  and  that  the  real  aim  of 
modern  education  is  a  higher  ideal  than  mere  intelligence,  viz  :  the  formation 
of  character  based  upon  intelligence.  Professor  Woody  says: 

"Within  the  last  ten  years  the  school  houses  of  Greencastle  have  been 
overhauled.  Two  rooms  have  been  added  in  district  No.  3.  but  the  chief 
improvements  have  looked  to  better  ventilation,  lighting  and  decoration. 
Our  city,  taking  advantage  of  the  free  school  laws,  promptly  and  earnestly 
erected  substantial  brick  buildings  forty  years  ago.  Very  little  was  then 
understood  concerning  what  is  now  considered  good  school  architecture.  To 
overcome  the  difficulties,  furnaces  have  been  substituted  for  stoves,  gravity 
systems  of  ventilation  ha\e  been  installed  in  three  of  the  four  buildings,  and 
additional  windows  ha\-e  been  constructed  wherever  the  light  was  insufficient. 
All  the  windows,  except  those  on  the  north,  are  fitted  with  double  shades, 
the  upper  one  being  a  translucent  white  shade  to  diffuse  the  light  so  no  pupil 
need  sit  in  a  glare. 

"In  the  matter  of  mural  decoration,  the  old  wall  of  dingy  plaster  gave 
way  to  paper  about  six  to  ten  years  ago.  Xow  as  the  paper  grows  dingv-, 
the  board  of  trustees  is  having  them  decorated  in  oil  paints.  This  is  a  step 
in  the  right  direction  whether  vieweil  from  a  hygienic  or  an  aesthetic  stand- 
point. The  schools  possess  more  than  one  hundred  good  pictures  and  casts. 
These  have  come  through  the  loyal  efforts  of  teachers  and  pupils,  inspired 
by  the  superintendent  and  supported  by  the  patrons  of  the  schools,  .\bout 
one  thousand  dollars  has  been  thus  investefl  in  works  of  art  in  the  past  ten 
years.  Most  of  these  are  reproductions  of  classic  pictures  and  statues,  and 
some,  like  LeRey's  'Scotch  Hether',  are  excellent  modern  paintings. 

"These  material  works  of  progress  are  but  e\'idences  of  something  even 
better,  viz:  a  living,  growing  educational  spirit.  There  is  further  evidence 
of  this  healthy  spirit  to  be  seen  in  the  smooth  running  of  the  schools.  They 
go  on  with  the  work  without  jar  or  friction.  There  is  no  rebellion  anywhere, 
no  back-biting  and  scarcely  any  fault  finding,  no  petitions  to  oust  teachers, 
and.  indeed,  the  great  majority  of  parents  are  in  hearty  accord  with  the 
schools  anrl  are  staunch  supporters  of  the  teachers. 

■'Probably  the  most  incontrovertible  proof  of  Greencastle's  fine  educa- 
tional spirit,  is  the  increase  in  school  attendance  and  improvement  in  its 
punctuality. 

"The  per  cent,  of  the  average  daily  attendance  from  k^oi  to  [907 — 
seven  years — was  06.1  and  for  the  past  three  years.  96.6:  for  i()o6-07.  96.8; 


92  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

for  1908-09,  it  was  97.1  per  cent.  The  net  total  enrollment  includes  all  the 
children  who  touch  the  schools  at  any  time  during  the  school  year,  though  the 
time  be  ever  so  short.  Yet  for  the  past  four  years,  the  average  daily  attend- 
ance has  been  85.1  per  cent,  of  the  total  enrollment.  For  1906-07  it  was  86.2 
per  cent. 

"In  si.xteen  cities  of  the  state,  viz;  Brazil.  Bluffton,  Columbus,  Conners- 
ville.  Frankfort.  Franklin.  Greensburg.  Hartford  City.  Huntington,  Kokomo. 
Lebanon.  Newcastle.  Noblesville.  Princeton.  Shelbyville,  Wabash,  the  average 
dailv  attendance  for  1906-07  was  19171.9  and  the  total  enrollment  24.449,  the 
average  dail\-  attendance  being  78.4  per  cent,  of  the  enrollment.  Making 
a  like  computation  for  all  the  cities  of  the  state,  the  per  cent,  is  found  to  be 
78.3;  and  tor  all  the  public  schools  of  the  state,  ■]■/  per  cent.  For  the  past 
four  years  Greencastle's  average  daily  attendance  has  averaged  85  per  cent, 
of  the  enrollment,  and  it  has  not  fallen  below  79  per  cent,  since  1901. 

"A  verv  large  proportion  of  our  pupils  remain  in  school  each  year  until 
the  close  of  school.  Xearly  one  hundred  per  cent,  of  the  pupils  who  finish 
the  work  of  the  common  schools,  enter  the  high  school.  The  high  school 
has  increased  its  enrollment  since  1901,  by  jo  per  cent.  It  was  16  2-3  per 
cent,  of  the  total  number  in  all  of  the  schools  in  1901 ;  1903,  it  was  21.5  per 
cent;  the  past  four  years  it  has  averaged  26.8  per  cent,  of  the  entire  enroll- 
ment; its  highest  reach  was  29  per  cent.  The  sum  of  the  enrollments  of  the 
high  school  for  the  past  four  years  is  36.6  per  cent,  of  the  sum  of  the  enroll- 
ments in  the  grades.  In  the  sixteen  cities  named  above,  the  total  high  school 
enrollment  for  1906-07  was  16.4  per  cent,  of  the  total  grade  enrollment.  This 
large  enrollment  in  the  local  high  school  means  the  more  when  it  is  further 
stated  that  this  school  maintains  a  ver\'  high  per  cent,  of  attendance  as  com- 
pared with  the  enrollment.  For  the  year  ending  1905.  it  was  91  per  cent,  and 
for  1907.  91.6  per  cent.  The  high  school's  per  cent,  of  attendance  for 
1906-07,  as  reckoned  in  the  state's  schools,  was  97.6.  nor  has  it  fallen  below 
97  per  cent,  since." 

Outside  the  citv  of  Greencastle  the  schools  in  the  county  until  1872  were 
practicall}-  without  supervision.  There  had  been,  it  is  true,  a  school  examiner, 
so  called,  but  his  duties  were  almost  entirely  confined  to  the  examination  of 
persons  applying  for  license  to  teach.  His  visits  to  and  inspection  of  the 
schools  over  the  county  were  few  and  far  between  and  the  salary-  of  the  place 
was  so  meagre  he  could  give  the  position  but  a  small  portion  of  his  time.  In 
1872  the  Legislature  created  the  office  of  county  superintendent  of  schools 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  93 

and  the  first  person  to  till  that  post  was  the  late  John  R.  Gordon,  who  served 
until  1875.  Following  him  came  L.  A.  Stockwell,  whose  term  ended  in 
1881  :  L.  E.  Smedley  in  1889;  F.  M.  Lyon  in  1897  and  S.  A.  Harris  in  1903. 
Since  the  latter  year  the  present  incumbent,  Oscar  Thomas,  has  filled  the 
office. 


SCHOOL   ST.VTISTICS. 

•At  present  there  is  one  and  in  some  cases  two  high  schools  in  each  town- 
ship in  the  county.  Including  the  high  school,  there  are  nine  teachers  in  the 
various  districts  of  Jackson  township;  si.xteen  in  Franklin;  eight  in  Clinton; 
thirteen  in  Monroe;  nine  in  Floyd;  seven  in  Warren;  nine  in  Greencastle 
(outside  of  the  city)  ;  nine  in  Madison;  ten  in  Russell;  nine  in  Marion ;  eight 
m  Jefferson;  eighteen  in  Washington;  si.xteen  in  Cloverdale  and  four  in 
Mill  Creek.  Add  to  these  the  twenty  instructors  in  the  city  schools  of  Green- 
castle and  we  have  a  total  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  teachers  in  the 
county.  .\n  enumeration  of  school  children  made  last  year  shows  ^^j  in 
Jackson ;  225  in  Clinton ;  444  in  Cloverdale ;  256  in  Floyd ;  480  in  Franklin ; 
455  '"  Greencastle  (outside  of  the  city)  ;  247  in  Jefferson;  266  in  Madison; 
364  in  Marion;  147  in  Mill  Creek;  391  in  Monroe;  ^^^  '"  Russell;  209  in 
Warren;  480  in  Washington,  and  872  in  the  citv  of  Greencastle  a  total  of 
5,608. 

EARLY   HIGH   SCHOOLS  AND  ACADE.MIES. 

In  the  days  prior  to  the  Civil  war.  academies  and  seminaries  and  other 
mstitutions  of  higher  grade  than  the  district  school  began  to  make  their  ap- 
pearance not  only  in  Greencastle  but  in  other  parts  of  the  county  as  well. 
Of  course  they  were  private  enterpri.ses  and  in  some  instances  short-lived 
but  in  others  they  continued  for  years,  growing  in  popular  favor  until  the 
arlvent  of  the  modern  high  school  and  college,  after  which  they  gradually 
went  out  of  existence.  There  was  a  seminary  in  Cloverdale  as  earlv  as  i8;o 
and  both  Russeilviile  and  Bainbridge  boasted  of  academies.  The  institution 
at  Bainbridge  was  admirably  managed  and  its  reputation  for  discipline  and 
excellence  in  training  extended  far  Ijeyond  the  county  lines.  The  Russeil- 
viile .Academy  was  likewise  a  notable  institution,  its  course  of  instruction 
fitting  its  graduates  for  entrance  to  any  of  the  colleges  or  universities  in  the 


94 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


middle  West.  In  Greencastle  the  preparatory  school  for  Asbury  University 
answered  the  purpose  of  an  academy,  but  as  girls  were  not  admitted  there 
grew  up  a  demand  for  separate  schools  for  them.  This  demand  was  promptly 
met  and  several  female  high  schools  or  academies  were  at  different  times 
inaugurated,  the  principal  one  being  the  school  of  Mrs.  Larrabee.  the  wife 
of  Prof.  William  C.  Larrabee,  of  Asbury  University.  This  institution  drew 
to  Greencastle  young  ladies  from  various  points  not  only  in  this  state  but 
even  in  the  adjoining  .states.  In  the  decade  prior  to  the  Civil  war  these 
higher  grade  private  schools  flourished  everywhere.  In  the  Putnam  Repub- 
lican Banner,  published  in  Greencastle  during  this  period,  are  .found  the  ad- 
vertisements of  the  New  Albany  Female  Seminary,  at  New  Albany,  Indiana; 
the  Terre  Haute  Female  College,  at  Terre  Haute  ;  the  Asbury  Female  Institute, 
at  Greencastle,  presided  over  by  James  A.  Dean,  principal,  and  later  by  Rev. 
J.  B.  DeMotte ;  the  Greencastle  High  School,  which  included  in  its  curriculum 
drawing  and  painting  and  was  managed  by  E.  French,  principal;  the  select 
school  of  Mrs.  M.  A.  Skelton  at  the  "Old  Presbyterian  Church";  the  music 
school  of  Mrs.  H.  B.  Hibben  at  "'Bellamy  House";  the  school  of  Mrs.  S.  S. 
Johnson  at  the  "east  end  of  Seminar}'  street,"  and  the  select  school  of  Mrs. 

A.  E.  Bickle,  at  the  "east  end  of  the  building  known  as  the  'Fort'."  After 
the  reorganization  of  the  public  schools  of  Greencastle  about  1867-68  the 
day  of  the  "academy"  had  passed  away.  In  1870  the  Female  College  of 
Indiana,  an  institution  under  the  patronage  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  was 
established  in   Greencastle.     Its  first  board  of  trustees  consisted  of  Joseph 

B.  Fordyce,  W.  C.  Gilmore.  John  H.  Randolph,  J.  L.  Seybold,  James  D. 
Stevenson,  Addison  Daggy,  Milton  A.  Oslwrn,  Conrad  Cook  and  M.  B. 
Barnard.  Rev.  E.  W.  Fisk,  local  pastor  of  the  church  in  Greencastle,  be- 
came the  first  president  of  the  board  and  ultimately  president  of  the  college 
also.  At  the  time  of  the  organization  the  trustees  purchased  four  and  a  half 
acres  of  ground  east  of  Locust  and  south  of  iVnderson  streets,  on  which  a 
large  brick  dwelling  and  a  two-story  brick  church  suitable  for  a  college  build- 
ing had  already  been  erected.  In  August,  1873,  a  fire  destroyed  the  college 
building  including  the  library,  furniture,  etc.  This  was  a  great  misfortune 
and  one  from  which  the  institution  never  fully  recovered.  The  school  was 
continued  in  other  buildings  and  two  classes — one  in  1875  and  the  other  in 

1876 were  graduated.     A  new  building  on  a  tract  of  ground  southwest  of 

town,  donated  by  James  Gillespie,  was  begun,  but  the  requisite  funds  to 
continue  its  erection  were  not  forthcoming  and  with  Asbury  L^niversity  ad- 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  95 

mitting  women  to  all  its  departments  on  a  footing  with  men  the  competition 
proved  to  be  too  great  and  the  new  institution  was  finally  forced  to  surrender. 

.\SBURY.    NOW    DEP.VUW,    UNIVERSITY. 

This  chapter  on  the  schools  of  Putnam  county  would  be  manifestly  far 
from  complete  were  we  to  omit  mention  of  the  great  educational  factor  of 
our  county — .\sbury.  now  DePauw,  University.  The  earliest  and  most  in- 
teresting history  of  the  genesis  and  development  of  this  great  institution  is 
from  the  pen  of  the  Rev.  F.  C.  Holliday,  who  in  February,  1S5S,  wrote  for 
one  of  the  Indianapolis  papers  a  historical  sketch  entitled  "Methodism  in  In- 
diana."' Alluding  to  the  efforts  of  the  church  to  promote  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation, he  says : 

"In  May,  1832.  the  Illinois  conference  was  divided  and  Indiana  became 
a  separate  conference.  The  first  session  of  the  Indiana  conference  was  held 
in  New  Albany  October,  1832.  On  the  first  day  of  the  session  A.  Wilev,  C. 
W.  Ruter  and  James  Armstrong  were  a  committee  to  consider  and  report 
on  the  propriety  of  establishing  a  literary  institution  under  the  patronage  of 
the  conference.  The  committee  made  their  report,  but  no  definite  action  was 
had  beyond  pro\-iding  for  the  collection  of  information  to  be  reported  to  the 
next  conference. 

"Although  it  was  felt  to  be  desirable,  on  many  accounts,  to  have  an 
institution  of  learning  under  the  control  of  the  conference,  yet  it  was  thought, 
if  we  could  receix'e  anything  like  an  equitable  share  of  privileges  in  the  State 
University  at  Bloomington,  that  would  meet  the  wants  of  our  people  for 
several  years:  and  accordingly,  at  the  conference  in  1834,  it  was  resolved  to 
memorialize  the  state  Legislature  on  the  subject :  and,  accordinglv,  a  memorial 
from  the  conference,  and  similar  memorials  numerously  signed,  were  sent 
up  from  different  parts  of  the  state.  The  memorialists  did  not  ask  that  the 
university  be  put  either  in  whole  or  in  part  under  the  control  of  the  church. 
They  simply  asked  that  the  trustees  of  the  university  be  elected  for  a  term  of 
years  and  that  vacancies  as  they  occurred  should  be  filled  bv  the  Legislature 
and  not  by  the  remaining  members  of  the  board  of  trustees.  The  memorial 
was  referred  to  an  able  committee  of  the  Legislature,  but  for  some  reason 
the  committee  never  made  a  report.  Those  who  were  opposed  to  anv  change 
in  the  manner  of  controlling  the  State  University  doubtless  judp-ed  that  it 
would  be  easier  to  smother  the  report  while  in  the  hands  of  the  committee 
than  to  answer  before  the  people  for  the  opposition  to  a  reform  so  just  and 
equitable. 


p6  weik's  history  of 

"Failing  in  their  efforts  to  secure  a  refonn  in  the  manner  of  controlHng 
the  State  University,  the  conference  turned  their  thoughts  earnestly  toward 
the  establishment  of  a  literary  institution  of  high  grade  under  the  control  of 
the  church.  At  the  session  of  the  conference  in  1835  a  plan  was  agreed  upon 
for  the  founding  of  a  university.  Subscriptions  were  taken  up  and  proposals 
made  from  different  points  in  the  state  with  a  view  of  securing  the  location 
of  the  university.  Rockville,  Putnamville,  Greencastle,  Lafayette,  Madison 
and  Indianapolis  were  the  principal  competitors.  Rockville  presented  a  sub- 
scription of  twenty  thousand  dollars;  Putnamville  about  the  same  amount; 
Indianapolis  and  Madison  each,  about  ten  thousand  dollars;  Greencastle, 
twenty-five  thousand;  and  accordingly,  at  the  session  of  the  conference  in 
Indianapolis,  October,  1836,  the  conference  by  vote  fixed  the  site  of  the  uni- 
versity at  Greencastle.  At  that  time  Greencastle  contained  a  population  of 
about  five  hundred.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  draft  a  charter  to  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  Legislature  at  its  next  session,  which  was  done,  and  the  charter 
was  passed  substantially  as  drawn  up  by  the  committee.  The  following 
gentlemen  comprised  the  original  board  of  trustees:  Robert  R.  Roberts, 
John  Cowgill,  Alexander  C.  Stevenson,  William  H.  Thomburgh,  William 
Talbott,  Reese  Hardesty,  Joseph  Crow,  John  W.  Osborne,  Thomas  Robinson, 
Hiram  E.  Talbott,  James  Montgomery,  Daniel  Sigler,  Isaac  Matkins,  Tarvin 
W.  Cowgill,  William  Lee,  William  K.  Cooper,  Calvin  Fletcher,  Gamaliel  Tay- 
lor, Martin  M.  Ray,  Isaac  C.  Elston,  S.  E.  Leonard,  W.  W.  Hitt,  Joseph  A. 
Wright,  Tilghman  A.  Howard,  Jacob  Haas.  The  institution  was  to  be  known 
bv  the  name  and  style  of  "The  Indiana  Asbury  University.' 

"The  first  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees  was  held  on  the  first  Monday 
in  March,  1837,  at  which  time  they  resolved  to  open  the  preparatory  depart- 
ment as  soon  as  they  could  procure  a  suitable  teacher.  Rev.  Cyrus  Nutt,  a 
graduate  of  Allegheny  College,  was  elected  principal  of  the  preparatory  de- 
partment with  a  salary  of  four  hundred  dollars.  Greencastle  was  at  that 
time  about  ten  years  old,  small  and  rough.  The  site  was  by  no  means  the 
most  pleasant,  being  a  succession  of  hills  and  hollows.  The  streets  were 
without  grading  or  sidewalks,  except  about  the  public  square,  and  mud  was 
a  very  abundant  article  for  about  six  months  in  the  year.  It  was  exceedingly 
fortunate  for  Greencastle  that  it  secured  the  location  of  the  university;  had 
it  failed  in  its  efforts  the  county  seat  would  probably  have  been  removed  to 
Putnamville.  and  Greencastle  been  numbered  among  the  things  that  were. 
But  the  influence  o-iven  to  it  by  this  institution  made  it  a  point  on  the  Indian- 
apolis &  Terre  Haute  railroad  and  gained   for  it  also  the  New  Albany  & 


EAST   COLLEGE,   DEPAUW   UNIVERSITY 


Cammack  Pliolographe 


PUTNAM    COL'NTV,    INDIANA.  97 

Michigan  City  railroad,  which  render  it  a  place  of  considerable  commercial 
importance  and  make  it  of  easy  access  from  most  parts  of  the  state.  Rev. 
Cyras  Xutt,  who  had  been  elected  to  take  charge  of  the  preparatory  depart- 
ment, arrived  in  due  time  and  the  school  was  opened  on  the  5th  of  June,  1837, 
in  a  room  in  the  old  town  seminary,  about  twelve  by  fifteen  feet.  Five  pupils 
appeared,  barefooted  and  without  coats.  Their  names  were:  Oliver  P. 
Badger.  O.  H.  P.  Ash,  William  Stevenson.  Bishop  Osborne  and  S.  Taylor. 
They  all  resided  in  the  town  except  Badger. 

LAYING   THE    CORNER    STONE. 

"The  20th  of  June  was  an  era  for  Greencastle.  and  also  for  the  history 
of  Indiana  Asbury  University.  It  was  the  day  appointed  for  laying  the 
corner  stone  of  the  college  edifice.  Rev.  H.  B.  Bascomb  was  engaged  to  de- 
liver the  address  on  the  occasion.  Expectation  was  great.  The  occasion,  the 
unrivaled  reputation  of  the  speaker,  the  greatest  orator  of  the  West  if  not  of 
the  world,  awakened  an  interest  hitherto  unknown  along  the  hills  and  valleys 
and  prairies  of  western  Indiana. 

"Greencastle  was  put  in  her  tidiest  dress,  and  the  doors  of  the  citizens 
were  thrown  open  to  entertain  the  guests  that  were  expected  to  be  present  on 
the  occasion.  On  ^londay,  the  19th.  the  crowd  began  to  appear  and  by  nio-ht 
the  town  was  full.  People  came  from  all  parts  of  the  state  and  it  was  esti- 
mated that  twenty  thousand  persons  were  present  on  the  next  day.  The  re- 
nowned orator  arrived  and  took  lodging  at  the  residence  of  one  of  the  prin- , 
cipal  citizens.  The  hum  of  preparation  was  heard  at  a  late  hour  in  the  night. 
On  the  20th  the  order  of  the  day  was  a  sermon  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  at  nine  o'clock  A.  M..  from  Rev.  Hooper  Crews,  of  Illinois.  At 
eleven  o'clock  the  pnxession  was  formed  and  marched  to  the  site  of  the 
university  where,  over  the  stone,  which  had  been  prepared,  with  sundrv  docu- 
ments enclcsed,  Calvin  Fletcher,  Esq.,  of  Indianapolis,  delivered  a  brief  and 
appropriate  address,  but  \\hich  was  heard  by  comparatively  few  of  the  vast 
assembly. 

"The  procession  was  again  formed  and  marched  to  a  grove  in  the  .south- 
west part  of  the  town  where  temporary  seats  had  been  prepared  which  accom- 
modated about  one-fourth  of  the  audience.  The  stand  was  occupied  bv  the 
orator  of  the  day  and  Revs.  A.  Wiley.  James  Havens,  C.  W.  Ruter,  E.  R 
.\mes  and  a  few  other  leading  ministers  of  the  conference.  Praver  was 
offered  by  Rev.  E.  R.  Ames,  when  Rev.  H.  B.  Bascomb  proceeded  with  his 

(7) 


98  WEIKS    HISTORY    OF 

address,  which  he  read.  As  the  day  was  extremely  chilly  for  the  season,  he 
asked  to  speak  with  his  hat  on.  During  an  interlude  caused  by  a  slight  shower 
of  rain  accompanied  with  snow,  the  speaker  sat  down  a  few  minutes,  when  a 
countryman, — a  Hoosier,  of  course, — who  had  provided  himself  with  a  huge 
roll  of  gingerbread,  stepped  up  behind  the  stand  and,  plucking  the  reverend 
Doctor  by  the  coat,  broke  oft  a  piece  of  his  loaf  and  offered  him,  saying, 
'Mister,  as  you  have  been  speaking  hard  you  must  be  hungry;  here  take  a 
piece.'  The  Doctor  thanked  him  kindly,  saying  he  had  no  occasion.  The  ad- 
dress was  two  hours  in  its  delivery  and  made  a  very  favorable  impression 
on  the  minds  of  the  audience. 

"At  the  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees  in  September,  1837,  the  college 
proper  was  organized  and  the  regular  professorships  created.  Rev.  Cyrus 
Nutt  was  elected  professor  of  languages  and  acting  president.  In  the  spring 
of  1838  Rev.  J.  W.  Weakly  was  appointed  preceptor  of  the  preparatory  de- 
partment. In  1839  Rev.  Matthew  Simpson  was  duly  elected  president  of  the 
institution.  He  arrived  and  took  charge  in  May  of  the  same  year.  The  first 
catalogue  was  published  at  the  close  of  that  term  and  the  number  of  students 
Avas  one  hundred  and  forty. 

"In  the  fall  of  1840  the  first  regular  commencement  was  held  and  the 
president  inaugurated.  A  charge  was  delivered  by  Governor  Wallace  and  an 
inaugural  address  by  the  president,  both  of  w-hich  were  published.  The  new- 
building  was  completed  and  the  above  exercises  were  the  first  consecration  of 
its  halls  to  the  purposes  for  which  they  were  designed. 

PRESIDENTS    OF   THE    UNIVERSITY. 

"The  first  graduates  were  John  Wheeler,  of  Bellefontaine.  Ohio; 
Thomas  A.  Goodwin,  of  Brookville,  Indiana,  and  James  Maddox,  of  Craw- 
fordsville,  Indiana.  Another  change  was  made  in  the  faculty  at  the  close  of 
the  vear.  J.  W.  Weaklv  resigned  and  Rev.  William  C.  Larrabee  was  elected 
to  the  chair  of  mathematics  and  natural  science.  Mr.  Larrabee  arrived  in  the 
spring  of  1841  and  took  charge  of  his  professorship.  In  1842  the  faculty 
was  further  increased  by  the  election  of  John  Wheeler — who  was  the  first 
graduate  of  the  institution — to  the  chair  of  Latin  literature,  and  Charles  G. 
Downey  to  the  chair  of  natural  science.  In  the  fall  of  1844  Rev.  B.  F.  Tefft 
was  elected  professor  of  Greek  language  and  literature  made  vacant  by  the 
resignation  of  Professor  Nutt.  Doctor  Simpson  continued  in  the  presidency 
of  the  university  till  the  summer  of  1848.  when  he  resigned  and  William  C. 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  99 

Larrabee  was  acting  president  for  one  year.  In  1849  Rev.  Lucien  W.  Berry- 
was  elected  to  the  presidency^  of  the  institution,  but  his  formal  inauguration 
did  not  take  place  until  the  next  year,  during  commencement  week,  when 
the  keys  of  the  uni\ersity  were  turned  over  to  him  by  the  governor  of  the 
state,  Joseph  A.  Wright.  After  a  service  of  four  years,  he  resigned  and 
moved  to  Iowa,  where  he  accepted  the  presidency  of  the  Iowa  Wesleyan 
University  at  Mt.  Pleasant.  In  August,  1854,  Rev.  Daniel  Curry,  of  New 
York,  was  elected  to  the  vacancy  and  remained  until  July,  1857,  a  period  of 
about  three  years.  It  was  during  Doctor  Curry's  administration  that  the 
famous  rebellion,  which  seriously  threatened  the  life  of  the  university,  oc- 
curred, and  which  finally  so  widened  the  breach  between  students  and  facultv 
that  the  president  deemed  it  best  to  resign.  He  left  the  institution  in  June, 
1857.  For  the  ensuing  year,  the  university  being  without  an  executive  head. 
Dr.  Cyrus  Nutt,  the  vice-president,  was  the  acting  president.  Being  called 
to  the  head  of  the  institution  at  a  time  when  public  confidence  was  shaken  in 
its  success  and  when  the  students  were  deserting  its  halls,  he  succeeded  in 
re-inspiring  public  confidence,  in  increasing  the  patronage  of  the  institution 
and  restoring  order  and  contentment  generally." 

In  July.  1858.  Rev.  Thomas  Bowman,  D.  D.,  of  Pennsylvania,  was 
elected  to  the  presidency.  Fie  was  a  man  of  splendid  and  thorough  training 
and  brought  to  the  position  talents  of  the  highest  order.  Under  his  adminis- 
tration the  university  made  great  progress.  In  1872  he  was  chosen  bishop 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  moved  to  St.  Louis.  The  presidency 
next  fell  to  Rev.  Reuben  Andrus.  D.  D.,  at  that  time  pastor  of  the  Meridian 
Street  church  in  Indianapolis.  Doctor  Andrus  was  a  powerful  preacher  and 
a  strong  man  generally,  but  after  three  years"  service  resigned  and  returned  to 
the  pulpit.  Rev.  Alexander  Martin.  D.  D.,  of  West  Virginia,  was  the  next 
president,  beginning  his  administration  in  the  fall  of  1875.  Doctor  Alartin 
was  a  man  of  ripe  learning,  sound  judgment  and  keen  observation.  A 
Scotchman  by  birth,  he  had  all  the  attractive  traits  of  the  Scotch  character. 
He  was  rugged,  firm  and  reserved.  It  was  under  his  administration  that 
Washington  C.  DePauw  made  his  great  endowment.  Asbury  was  enlarged 
and  became  the  Liberal  .'\rts  School  of  DePauw  University.  It  was  a  period 
of  great  expansion  and  the  attendance  at  the  university  reached  its  highest 
point.  After  fourteen  years  of  service  Doctor  Martin,  desiring  to  be  relieved 
of  the  heavv  responsibilities  of  the  presidency,  offered  his  resignation  and 
took  a  chair  in  the  department  of  philosophy,  where  he  continued  to  serve 
until   1893.     His  successor  at  the  head  of  DePauw  L^niversity.  chosen   in 


lOO  ■  WEIK  S   HISTORY   OF 

1889,  was  Dr.  John  P.  D.  John,  who  had  already  been  connected  with  the 
university  as  its  vice-president.  "Doctor  John,"  are  the  words  of  one  of  his 
colleagues,  "was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  life  about  him  and  in  full 
sympathy  with  the  course  of  development  of  the  last  few  years.  With  his 
strong,  logical  mind,  and  his  enthusiastic  nature,  he  recognized  large  possibil- 
ities in  the  very  near  future  and  bent  his  energies  toward  them.  He  devoted 
himself  assiduously  to  the  re-organization  of  the  courses  of  study  and  to  the 
looking  out  for  professors  of  the  highest  available  equality  in  their  own  lines 
of  work  so  that  whenever  a  change  had  to  be  made  in  the  faculty,  or  an  addi- 
tion could  be  made,  it  might  always  be  the  best  one  possiljle  in  the  interests 
of  the  highest  order  of  work  in  all  departments.  These  were  the  days  when 
the  university  expectations  were  at  their  greatest  as  regarded  the  value  of  its 
endowments  and  large  things  seemed  to  be  within  reasonable  reach  of  the 
institution.  But  hard  times  came  this  way  in  1893  and  continued  through 
subsequent  vears.  Business  interests  suffered,  stocks  and  shares  declined  in 
value;  productive  funds  became  non-productive,  student  numbers  decreased 
because  incomes  of  their  homes  were  uncertain,  and  the  horizon  of  present 
possibilities  narrowed,  and  that  beyond  the  power  of  any  one  to  prevent  it. 
Many  a  man  and  many  an  institution  during  those  years  had  to  exchange  its 
inquiry  of  'what  is  best'  for  the  more  available  one  of  'what  is  most  ex- 
pedient.' But  a  high  order  of  work  was  done  in  recitation  rooms,  libraries 
■and  laboratories  and  young  men  and  young  women  were  learning  to  think 
and  were  getting  ready  for  the  great  world." 

Doctor  John  resigned  the  presidency  in  June,  1896.  and  was  followed 
by  Rev.  Hillarv"  A.  Gobin  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  Doctor  Gobin  had  for 
several  years  been  dean  of  the  school  of  theology  and  is  the  only  graduate  of 
the  universitv  who  has,  thus  far.  ever  been  elevated  to  the  presidency.  Doctor 
Gobin  filled  the  position  with  great  credit  to  himself  and  decidedly  to  the 
advantage  of  the  university.  He  administered  the  affairs  of  the  institution 
during  a  season  of  financial  stress,  displaying  the  rarest  discretion  in  avoiding 
the  rough  places  ahead,  thus  proving  that  he  was  the  right  man  in  the  right 
place  and  at  the  right  time.  But  the  administrative  duties  of  the  presidency 
were  dailv  becoming  more  and  more  burdensome,  so  that  Doctor  Gobin,  be- 
lieving a  younger  man  better  able  to  contend  with  the  exacting  demands  of 
the  position,  gave  way  in  1903  and  accepted  the  chair  of  Biblical  science  and 
Hebrew.  His  successor  was  Dr.  Edwin  Holt  Hughes,  who  at  the  time  of  his 
election  was  pastor  of  the  Methodist  church  in  Maiden,  Massachusetts.  .\s 
president  of  the  university  Doctor  Hughes  was  welcomed  with  every  demon- 


PUTNAM     COUNTY,    INDIANA.  lOI 

stratioii  of  popular  approval.  He  was  young,  versatile  and  abreast  of  the 
times  in  matters  of  college  discipline  and  training.  A  very  popular  preacher 
and  platfoiTn  orator,  he  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Methodists  every- 
where and  so  deep  was  the  impression  he  made  that  at  the  general  conference 
in  Baltimore  in  1908  he  was  elected  a  bishop  of  the  church  and  assigned  to 
San  Francisco,  California,  for  residence.  Doctor  Hughes  was  the  third 
president  of  Asbury  or  DePauw  University  elevated  to  the  episcopacy.  The 
present  head  of  DePauw.  Dr.  Francis  J.  McConnell,  was  elected  in  1908.  He 
came  from  Brooklyn.  Xew  York,  where  he  had  charge  of  one  of  the  largest 
churches  in  that  city.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio  and  was  graduated  from  the 
famous  Ohio  W'esleyan  University  at  Delaware.  His  two  years  of  service 
at  the  head  of  DePauw  have  demonstrated  that  no  mistake  was  made  in  choos- 
ing him  to  administer  the  affairs  of  the  institution.  He  is  a  profound  student, 
well-informed,  tolerant,  progressive  and  fair.  He  thinks  long  and  hard  before 
he  talks.  In  profoundity  of  learning,  in  the  ability  to  analyze,  in  clearness 
and  power  of  e.xpression.  the  university  has  scarcely  seen  his  eijual  since  the 
days  of  Mathew  Simpson. 

In  1846  a  department  of  law  was  created  and  two  years  later  the  Indiana 
Central  Medical  College  was  made  a  department  of  the  university.  The 
arrangement  with  the  medical  school  proved  too  great  an  undertaking  at  the 
time  and  the  board  of  trustees  withdrew  their  support  after  an  e.xperience 
of  three  or  four  years.  The  law  school  was  not  organized  for  regular  work 
until  1853.  It  continued  for  about  ten  years  and  was  then  suspended,  to  be 
renewed  again  in  1883,  for  another  period  of  ten  years,  since  which  time 
it  has  again  been  dropped. 

In  1859  the  university  was  again  organized  into  the  following  depart- 
ments : 

I.     Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy. 
II.     Mathematics. 
III.     Natural  Science. 
I\^.     Greek  Language  and  Literature. 
V.     Latin  Language  and  Literature. 
VI.     Belles  Lettres  and  History. 

VII.     Preparatory  Department. 

\'III.     Law  School. 

The  year  1867  was  notable  in  the  history  of  the  institution  in  that  it 
witnessed  the  admission  of  women  to  all  the  departments  of  the  university 


I02  weik's  history  of 

x>n  an  equal  footing  with  the  men.  In  1871  the  graduating  class  contained  four 
ladies,  being  the  first  of  their  sex  who  ever  received  a  diploma  or  degree  at 
the  hands  of  the  university.  On  October  20,  1869,  the  corner  stone  was  laid 
for  a  new  building  known  as  East  College,  which  when  finished  had  cost 
over  a  hundred  thousand  dollars.  It  contains  the  large  and  spacious  chapel 
named  Meharry  Hall,  in  honor  of  the  benefactions  of  the  late  Jesse  Meharry. 
On  February  10,  1879,  the  old  building — whose  corner  stone  had  been  laid 
by  Bishop  Bascomb — was  nearly  destroyed  by  fire.  Its  walls  being  left  intact, 
it  was  speedily  rebuilt  and  the  wings  added  on  the  east  and  west  side  respec- 
tively. 

BENEFACTIONS   OF   W.    C.    DEPAUW. 

In  1884  the  financial  stringency  under  which  the  institution  had  so  long 
struggled  was  greatly  relieved  by  the  munificent  endowment  of  the  late 
Washington  C.  DePauw.  On  the  payment  by  the  people  of  Putnam  county 
of  sixty  thousand  dollars  and  double  that  sum  by  the  various  Indiana  con- 
ferences, Mr.  DePauw  made  contributions  that  have  netted  the  university 
over  a  half  million  dollars.  Though  not  required  by  the  donor,  the  corporate 
title  of  the  university  was  changed  to  bear  his  name,  and  the  name  of  Asbury 
was  perpetuated  in  the  school  of  liberal  arts.  As  soon  as  the  DePauw  en- 
dowment became  effective  the  university  entered  on  an  era  of  expansion  and 
underwent  a  thorough  and  complete  re-organization.  By  1886  the  following 
departments  were  organized  and  in  working  order : 

The  .\sbury  College  of  Liberal  .Arts. 

School  of  Theology. 

School  of  Law. 

School  of  Military  Science. 

School  of  Mu.sic. 

School  of  Art. 

Normal  School. 

Preparatory  School. 

Tn  addition  to  the  buildings  erected  as  the  result  of  the  DePauw^  endow- 
ment two  beautiful  and  magnificent  structures  have  recently  been  built  on 
the  college  grounds.  One,  given  up  to  science,  was  the  generous  and  unselfish 
gift  of  the  late  D.  W.  Minshall,  of  Terre  Haute:  the  other,  a  magnificent 


PUTNAM    COrXTY.    IXDIAXA.  IO3 

Stone  building,  contains  the  university  library  and  is  the  result  of  the  munif- 
icence of  Andrew  Camegie.  Certain  other  lesser  benefactions  have,  in  recent 
years,  come  to  the  university,  but  they  are  so  numerous  and  so  varied  in  char- 
acter space  here  will  forbid  more  extended  mention. 

The  material  resources  of  the  university  consist  of: 

Campus,  43  1-2  acres,  valued  at $      50,000.00 

Buildings,   1 1,  valued  at 356,000.00 

Library.  30,000  vols.,  valued  at 19,000.00 

Endowment    funds — productive 490.186.14 

Endowment    funds — non-productive 35,925.00 

Total    $1,001,111.14 

.\LL'MX.\K  ST.\TISTICS. 

The  graduates  from  the  School  of  Liljeral  Arts  number  2,238  and  from 
the  professional  schools.  409,  making  a  total  of  2,647.  Erom  a  statement 
made  over  ten  years  ago — later  figures  are  not  accessible — it  appears  that 
these  alumnae  of  the  institution  ha\e  ad(3pted  occupations  as  follows: 
Teachers.  808;  lawyers.  523:  ministers  and  missionaries,  437;  general  busi- 
ness, 211  ;  physicians.  152:  editors  and  journalists.  107;  authors.  53:  farmers, 
60;  bankers.  39;  manufacturers.  24:  engineers.  28. 

Of  those  who  have  attained  distinction  through  public  office  the  list  is 
as  follows:  Governors.  4:  lieutenant-governors.  2;  cabinet  officers.  2;  foreign 
ministers.  6;  attaches  and  consuls.  5:  United  States  senators.  7:  congressmen, 
II;  state  senators,  25:  state  representatives,  64:  other  state  officers,  15:  fed- 
eral and  state  supreme  judges.  23:  army  and  navy  officers,  jj. 

Of  the  808  teachers  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  statement,  53  have 
been  college  presidents.  139  college  professors,  iii  city  and  county  superin- 
tendents, and  505  school  instructors  generally. 

BO.XRD  OF   TRl'STEE.S. 

The  board  of  trustees  consist  of  the  following  members:  William  Xew- 
kirk.  Connersville;  Xewland  T.  DePauw.  New  .Albany:  William  D.  Parr, 
Kokomo:  Hugh  Dougherty.  Indianapolis:  Deloss  ^\.  Wood.  Indianajx^lis ; 
William  H.  Latta.  Indianapolis:  David  G.  Hamilton.  Chicago;  George  E. 
Keiper.  Lafavette:  Hardin  Roads.  Muncie :  George  W.  Earis.  Terre  Haute: 


I04 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


William  M.  Adams.  Bloomington ;  Charles  E.  J.  McFarlan,  Connersville ; 
Robert  LeRoy  0"Hair.  Greencastle;  Harry  Whitcomb,  Shelbyville;  Marvin 
Campbell,  South  Bend;  John  Franklin  Simison,  Romney;  Charles  Edgar 
Bacon,  Indianapolis:  William  Henry  Charles,  Marion;  E.  G.  Eberhart,  Mish- 
awaka ;  W'infield  T.  Durbin,  Anderson ;  D.  J.  Terhune,  Linton ;  Ira  B.  Black- 
stock,  Springfield,  Ills.;  William  E.  Carpenter,  Brazil;  Alfred  E.  Dickey, 
Minneapolis,  Minn.;  Edwin  H.  Hughes,  San  Francisco,  Calif. 

In  addition  to  the  above  named  trustees,  the  three  conferences  in  Indiana 
elect  three  representatives  each  annually  who  are  called  visitors,  and  who  sit 
with  the  board  of  trustees  and  have  an  equal  voice  and  vote  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  affairs  of  the  corporation.  The  officers  of  the  corporation  are; 
Hugh  Dougherty,  Indianapolis,  president;  Henry  H.  Hornbrook.  secretary; 
Salem  B.  Town,  treasurer. 

THE    FACULTY. 

The  faculty  is  as  follows : 

Bishop  Thomas  Bowman,  chancellor  emeritus. 

Francis  John  McConnell,  president. 

Hillary  Asbury  Gobin.  vice-president  and  professor  of  Biblical  Science. 

Edwin  Post,  dean  and  professor  of  Latin. 

lames  Riley  Weaver,  professor  of  Political  Science. 

Belle  Aurelia  Mansfield,  dean  of  Schools  of  Music  and  Art. 

Julia  Alice  Druly.  professor  of  Pianoforte. 

William  Fletcher  Swahlen,  professor  of  Greek. 

Joseph  P.  Xaylor.  professor  of  Physics. 

Karl  H.  Fussier,  assistant  professor  of  Physics. 

Henry  Boyer  Longden.  professor  of  Gennan. 

Wilbur  Vincent  Brown,  professor  of  Mathematics. 

Andrew  Stephenson,  professor  of  Histor>-. 

Adolph  Schellschmidt.  professor  of  Violin. 

\\illiam  Martin  Blanchard.  professor  of  Chemistiy. 

C.  W.  Wright,  assistant  professor  of  Chemistry. 

William  Grant  Seaman,  profes.sor  of  Philosophy. 

Howard  James  Banker,  professor  of  Biology. 

Albert  Farrington  Caldwell,  professor  of  English  Literature. 

Rufus  Bernhard  von  Kleinsmid.  professor  of  Education. 

Frances  Elizabeth  Oldfiekl.  professor  of  Voice  Culture. 

Xathaniel  Waring  Barnes,  professor  of  Rhetoric. 


PLTXAM    COUXTV,    INDIANA.  IO5 

Helen  Maliin.  assistant  professor  of  Rhetoric. 

Harry  Bainbridge  Gough.  professor  of  Orator\-. 

Minna  May  Kern,  associate  professor  of  German. 

Cecil  Clare  Xorth.  assistant  professor  of  Sociology. 

W  ilhur  Tandy  Ayres,  instructor  Latin. 

Bessie  Minerva  Smith,  instructor  Drawing  and  Painting. 

Margaret  Overbeck,  instructor  Drawing  and  China  Painting. 

Floyd  E.  Chidester.  instructor  Biolog}-. 

Rose  Francoise  Laitem.  instructor  French. 

Mae  Amelia  Seaman,  instructor  PubHc  School  Music. 

Mildred  Rutledge,  instructor  Pianoforte. 

Arthur  Milton  Brown,  Physical  Director. 

Earl  C.  Ross,  instructor  English  and  History. 

Dade  Bee  Shearer,  instructor  I^tin  and  English. 

Mary  Morrison  Zabriskie,  instructor  Physical  Science. 

.\idah  A'ictoria  ^IcCoy.  assistant  Pianoforte. 

Minna  Lucile  Matern.  instructor  German. 

Isaac  Edward  Xorris.  professor  of  Pianoforte  and  Pipe  Organ. 

James  William  Harris,  instnictor  Education. 

Aldis  Hutchens.  assistant  English  Composition. 

OFFICERS  OF  THE    FACULTY. 

William  F.  Swahlen.  Secretary. 
Leona  Margaret  Powell,  Librarian. 
Margaret  Gilmore.  .Assistant  Librarian. 
Joseph  T.  Dobell.  Registrar. 
Rose  F.  Laitem.  Dean  of  Women. 
Edwin  Post.  Dean  of  College. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

CHURCH    HISTORY RELIGIOUS   SOCIETIES. 

The  first  preacher  in  the  county  of  whom  we  have  any  definite  record  was 
Reuben  Clearwaters,  a  Methodist.  As  to  his  reputation  and  abihty  in  the 
pulpit  we  i<now  but  little  and  about  the  only  information  regarding  him  which 
we  possess  is  that  he  solemnized  the  first  marriage  in  the  county,  uniting 
Thomas  Jackson  and  Sarah  Wood.  July  4,  1822  ;  that,  having  discovered  some 
defect  or  error  in  the  marriage,  he  hunted  up  Jackson  and  his  wife  and  per- 
formed the  ceremony  over  again.  He  appears  to  have  lived  in  the  county 
manv  vears  and  was  frequently  a  judge  at  elections  and  otherwise  interested 
in  matters  of  public  concern.  Judging  by  his  signature,  which  is  found  rude- 
ly scrawled  among  the  earlv  records  of  the  county,  his  educational  opportun- 
ities or  preparation  for  his  calling  must  have  been  painfully  meagre  and  neg- 
lected. One  writer  says  he  came  to  the  county  in  1821  ;  that  John  Messer 
arrived  about  the  same  time  also  and  that  the  two  preached  for  the  Method- 
ists, who  were  even  then  somewhat  numerous,  before  the  believers  of  that 
faith  were  included  within  the  lx)unds  of  any  conference. 

The  doors  of  the  old  log  school  houses  were  always  opened  to  the  itiner- 
ant ministers,  who.  though  of  different  faiths,  were  all  equally  eager  to  ex- 
pound the  simple  truth  of  a  sublime  and  beautiful  religion  and  point  out 
for  comparison  the  thorny  path  of  duty  and  the  primrose  path  of  reliance. 
Often  have  those  old  walls  given  back  the  echoes  of  the  songs  of  Zion  and 
many  an  erring  one  has  had  his  heart  moved  to  repentance  thereby  more 
strongly  than.  even,  by  the  flights  of  homely  eloquence.  The  religious  meet- 
ings held  in  those  old  log  school  houses  were  much  in  contrast  to  those  of 
todav.  The  pulpit  was  a  box  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  The  audience  as- 
sembled was  composed  of  men  in  home-spun  and  women  in  calico  and  sun- 
bonnets,  together  with  travelers,  land-hunters  and  other  outsiders.  The 
young  men  accompanying  the  girls  had  to  stop  before  arriving  at  the  house 
and  politely  turn  their  backs  while  the  girls  changed  their  shoes,  they  having 
carried  their  fine  ones  rather  than  to  soil  them  by  the  long  walk.  The  same 
was  done  on  the  return,  except  in  wann  weather  or  just  after  a  rain,  when 
the  young  man  was  burdened  with  two  pairs  of  shoes  while  his  girl  would 
tuck  up  her  homespun  or  calico  thereby  exhibiting  a  pair  of  white  feet  en- 
tirely destitute  of  cover. 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  IO7 

Four  religious  denoininations  were  represented  among  the  early  settlers 
of  the  county.  They  were  the  Methodists,  Presbyterians,  Baptists  and  New 
Lights.  Being  without  meeting  houses  of  their  own,  they  at  first  met  for 
worship  at  the  cabins  of  some  of  their  number.  In  time  they  were  recognized 
by  the  board  of  county  commissioners,  who  ordered  the  town  agent  to  convey 
to  each  of  them  a  lot  in  Greencastle  on  which  they  were  authorized  in  each 
case  to  build  a  house  for  church  purposes. 

ORGANIZATION    OF   BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

It  is  impossible  to  determine  which  denomination  first  began  to  hold 
meetings  or  indulge  in  church  worship.  It  has  been  generally  accepted  that 
the  Methodists  were  the  earliest  to  attempt  an  organization,  but.  according  to 
the  following  record  recently  found,  the  Baptists  could  not  have  been  far 
behind : 

"A  council  called  to  convene  at  Greencastle  Saturday  before  the  first 
Sabbath  in  May.  1822,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  and  constituting  a  regu- 
lar Baptist  church. 

"Council  composed  of  the  following  brethren:  Elder  J.  R.  Billings,  from 
Lamb's  Bottom  church,  and  Elder  Samuel  Arthur,  from  White  River  church, 
with  brethren  J.  R.  Robinson  and  Thomas  Johnson.  After  the  council  was 
organized  the  door  of  the  church  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  members. 
The  following  persons  were  received  by  letter;  John  C.  Sherrell.  Sister  Sher- 
rell,  Samuel  .\rthur.  John  Smith.  Charlotte  Smith,  John  Leatherman.  Polly 
Leatherman.  Jeremiah  DeVore,  Nancy  DeVore,  Jeremiah  Skelton,  Polly 
Skelton.  John  \\'.  Jones  and  .\lsy  Jones.  Then  the  hand  of  fellowship  was 
given  and  the  church  constituted  upon  the  following  articles  of  faith. 

"The  council  then  dissolved. 

"JOH.v  R.  BiLLiNcs.  Moderator. 
"Samuel  .Arthur.  Clerk." 

Elsewhere  we  learn  that  the  Baptists  held  meetings  at  the  house  of 
Michael  Wilson,  a  short  distance  west  of  Greencastle,  early  in  1823;  that 
John  Leathemian  and  Richard  Denman  preached  to  them  and  that  among 
their  members  were  Jubal  Deweese.  Thomas  Johnson  and  John  Miller,  some 
of  whom  lived  in  the  town  of  Greencastle.  the  others  on  land  nearby.  They 
also  held  meetings  at  the  cabin  of  James  Bird,  on  Walnut  creek  about  seven 
miles  northeast  of  Greencastle.  Eventually  they  spread  throughout  the 
county. 


io8  weik's  history  of 

The  Xew.  Light  detiomination,  although  somewhat  later  and  lesser  in 
numbers,  likewise  had  an  early  beginning.  As  is  well  known,  they,  in  time, 
owing  to  some  internal  differences,  suffered  more  or  less  division  in  their 
ranks — a  goodly  number  being  finally  absorbed  into  the  Christian  church,  as 
established  by  Alexander  Campbell.  The  first  campmeeting  in  the  county 
was  conducted  by  the  New  Lights  at  John  Sigler"s  place,  a  few  miles  north- 
east of  Greencastle. 

THE  PRESBYTERIAN"   CHURCH. 

The  organization  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the  county  August  12, 
1825.  was  due  to  the  labors  of  Isaac  Reed,  a  missionary  of  that  faith  who 
had  been  sent  west  by  the  Connecticut  Missionary  Society.  He  made  his  head- 
quarters in  Gosport,  Owen  county,  and  was  commissioned  to  journey  through 
the  wilds  and  fastnesses  of  western  Indiana  in  behalf  of  the  church.  It  was 
dangerous  and  exhaustive  work,  but  the  greater  the  hardships  he  encountered 
the  more  defiant  his  courage,  the  more  insuperable  his  zeal.  It  is  said  of  him 
that  he  was  graduated  from  Middlebury  College,  Vennont,  in  1812,  ordained 
to  preach  by  the  Transylvania  presbytery  in  Mercer  county,  Kentucky,  in  1818, 
and  moved  to  Indiana  the  same  year.  In  the  following  year  he  organized  the 
first  Sabbath  school  in  the  state  at  New  Albany.  The  church  he  organized 
in  Putnam  county  flourished  for  a  time,  but  eventually,  either  from  a  lack  of 
interest  or  the  competition  of  other  denominations,  went  out  of  existence. 

METHODISM  IN   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

The  records  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  show  that  in  the  fall 
of  1822  the  Eel  River  circuit,  which  included  the  counties  of  Owen,  Putnam 
and  Parke,  was  organized.  Samuel  Hamilton  was  the  presiding  elder  and 
William  Cravens  the  preacher  in  charge.  At  that  time  Indiana  was  a  part 
of  the  Missouri  conference.  During  the  conference  year  1823-24,  William 
Beauchamp  was  the  presiding  elder  and  John  Cord,  the  pastor  in  charge. 
In  1825  the  Illinois  conference  was  formed  and  Indiana  belonged  to  it.  The 
Eel  River  circuit  was  now  in  the  Madison  district.  John  Strange  officiated 
as  the  presiding  elder  and  John  Fish  as  the  preacher  in  charge.  Other  au- 
thorities credit  Stephen  Grimes,  a  local  preacher  at  Bloomington.  to  the  local 
circuit.  In  1826  Putnam  county  was  placed  in  the  Charlestown  district. 
James  Armstrong  was  the  presiding  elder  and  Daniel  Anderson,  a  man  de- 
scribed as  "of  iron   frame  who  traveled  the  district   from   Bloomington  to 


PUTNAM     COL'XTV.    IXDIAXA.  ICX) 

Crawfordsville,  who  could  swim  rivers  and  climb  mountains  to  reach  his 
appointment,  and  who  died  as  he  had  lived,  full  of  faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost." 
was  the  preacher  in  charge.  In  1827  James  Armstrong  was  continued  as 
presiding  elder  and  the  preacher  in  charge.  Daniel  Anderson,  was  now  pro- 
vided with  an  assistant  in  the  person  of  Stith  M.  Otwill.  A  year  later  finds 
James  Armstrong  still  presiding  elder  and  William  H.  Smith — destined  to 
spend  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life  in  Greencastle — preacher  in  charge. 
His  assistant  at  the  time  was  Benjamin  C.  Stexenson.  a  brother  of  the  late 
Dr.  A.  C.  Stevenson.  In  1829  John  Strange  officiated  as  presiding  elder  and 
William  H.  Smith  is  returned  as  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  circuit,  with 
George  Tea.se  as  assistant.  In  1830  Greencastle  appears  in  the  minutes  of 
the  conference  as  the  head  of  a  circuit.  John  Strange  is  still  presiding  elder 
and  William  Moore  becomes  the  pastor.  In  1831  the  Indianapolis  district 
was  formed.  James  Armstrong  presided  as  elder,  with  James  Hadley  and 
J.  H.  Hills  as  the  pastors.  1832.  John  Strange,  presiding  elder.  Daniel 
Anderson  and  L.  D.  Smith,  preachers;  1833.  Allen  Wiley,  presiding  elder,  Eli 
T.  Fanner  and  Henry  Deputy,  preachers;  1834,  Indiana  conference  formed. 
Vincennes  district.  James  L.  Thompson,  presiding  elder,  Thomas  J.  Brown, 
preacher;  1835.  Bloomington  district.  J.  Oglesby.  presiding  elder.  Thomas  J. 
Brown,  preacher;  1836,  S.  C.  Cooper,  presiding  elder,  Greencastle.  John  New- 
ell; 1837,  H.  S.  Talbott,  presiding  elder,  Greencastle  made  a  station.  James 
L.  Thompson,  pastor;  Greencastle  circuit,  Jonas  S.  Belotte.  pastor;  1838,  H. 
S.  Talbott,  presiding  elder,  Greencastle  station,  Ebenezer  Patrick,  Greencastle 
circuit.  H.  \'redenburg  and  W.  H.  Smith,  pastors;  1839,  Greencastle  district, 
E.  R.  Ames,  presiding  elder,  Greencastle  station.  John  S.  Bayless.  circuit,  H. 
X'redenburg  and  R.  C.  Rowley,  pa.stors ;  1840.  Greencastle  station.  Hawlev  B. 
Beers,  circuit.  Isaac  Owens,  Jacob  Miller,  pastors;  1841,  Greencastle  station, 
Isaac  Owens;  1842,  Greencastle  station,  Ebenezer  Patrick  and  J.  M.  Stallard. 
preachers;  1843,  Greencastle  station,  John  Daniel. 

Daniel  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  effective  preachers  of  his 
time  and  locality.  Very  earnest,  very  vehement,  he  easily  electrified  and 
swaved  his  audience  at  will.  His  zeal  was  like  an  unquenchable  fire.  A 
member  of  one  of  his  early  congregations  related  in  after  years  that  at  one 
time  in  the  old  church  in  Greencastle  he  was  exhorting  sinners  to  flee  from 
the  wrath  to  come  and  after  exhausting  himself  without  making  the  desired 
impression  on  his  hearers,  he  mounted  a  step  at  the  foot  of  the  pulpit  and 
at  the  very  top  of  his  voice  cried  out.  "Wake  up.  my  brother,  you're  nearing 
helll     Don't  you  smell  the  brimstone?" 

In  1844  the  state  was  divided  into  two  conferences  and  Greencastle  fell 
to  the  North  Indiana.     E.  M.  Beswick  was  presiding  elder  and  .\inasa  John- 


no  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

son  was  assigned  to  Greencastle  station.  In  1845  J-  C.  Smith  was  the  local 
pastor;  in  1846.  the  same;  in  1847,  John  H.  Hull.  Until  this  time  the  church 
in  Greencastle  stood  on  the  lot  at  the  corner  of  Indiana  and  Poplar  streets, 
but  it  was  far  too  small  and  the  congregation,  having  secured  a  lot  two  squares 
east  at  the  corner  of  Ephraim  street,  now  College  avenue,  erected  a  new 
church  building,  which  when  completed  was  the  largest  and  most  imposing 
church  edifice  in  Greencastle.  About  the  time  the  building  was  begun  a  suc- 
cession of  rains  had  flooded  all  the  streams  in  the  county  and  the  last  saw- 
mill had  been  washed  away.  No  lumber  could  be  had  short  of  Parke  county, 
and  that  required  a  trip  of  more  than  thirty  miles  over  mud  roads  sometimes 
almost  impassable.  At  this  juncture  two  men,  David  L.  Southard  and  Peter 
Albaugh,  volunteered  to  build  a  mill  for  the  purpose.  Mr.  Southard  went 
to  Cincinnati — it  is  said  the  journey  was  made  on  horseback  and  consumed 
almost  ten  days — and  bought  the  required  machinery,  which  was  shipped 
down  the  Ohio  river,  then  up  the  Wabash  to  Terre  Haute  and  from  there 
hauled  to  Greencastle  in  wagons.  Within  six  weeks  the  mill  was  in  operation, 
the  requisite  lumber  produced  and  the  building  went  on  without  further  mis- 
hap. The  pulpit  was  a  mammoth  strttcture,  being  over  seven  feet  high,  made 
of  solid  black  walnut  and  would  be  an  object  of  great  wonder  today.  In 
1859  the  pastor,  G.  M.  Boyd,  being  somewhat  of  a  mechanic  himself,  took 
down  the  old  altar  and  constructed  another  much  less  imposing  and  more  in 
keeping  with  the  times.  Miss  Ring,  a  special  friend  of  Doctor  Larrabee, 
undertook  the  unwelcome  task  of  raising  the  money  to  buy  a  bell  for  the 
church.  John  Hammond  gave  fifty  dollars,  supplementing  the  donation  with 
an  additional  twenty-five  dollars,  and  with  a  few  more  contributions  the  fund 
was  soon  complete. 

This  was  the  third  church  building  which  the  Methodists  had  erected  in 
Greencastle.  The  first  one.  built  of  logs,  stood  at  the  corner  of  Ephraim  and 
Franklin  streets  on  a  lot  which  had  been  given  to  the  church  by  the  county 
commissioners  in  May,  1833.  It  was  the  first  church  building  in  Greencastle. 
As  is  always  the  case  in  a  new  community,  certain  of  the  rougher  element, 
actuated  not  only  by  base  motives  but  by  a  spirit  of  mischief,  had  in  various 
ways  annoyed  the  new  congregation.  One  of  their  methods  of  interrupting 
the  meeting  has  come  down  to  us.  Arthur  McGaughey,  the  county  clerk, 
with  the  connivance  of  Washington  Walls,  David  Rudisill  and  other  char- 
acters, found  about  the  court  house,  one  Saturday  evening,  a  fresh  coon  skin. 
singed  the  hair  and  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  following  day 
attached  a  string  to  it  and.  starting  from  the  church,  dragged  it  over  the 
ground,  making  a  circuit  of  a  mile  or  two,  and  returning  to  the  church  where 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  Ill 

they  threw  the  pelt  out  of  sight  among  the  rafters  overhead.  Later  in  the  day 
during  services  at  the  church,  they  led  a  pack  of  hounds  to  a  point  southwest 
of  town  and  unleashed  them.  Almost  instantly  the  dogs  struck  the  trail  and, 
with  the  requisite  amount  of  noise  ten  or  fifteen  such  animals  on  a  fresh  scent 
of  game  could  make,  they  followed  the  circuit,  growing  more  and  more  demon- 
strative as  they  neared  town.  Reaching  the  church,  they  dashed  into  the 
open  doorway,  panting,  yelping  and  producing  a  commotion  on  the  part  of 
the  congregation  so  complete  and  instantaneous  that  the  meeting  adjourned 
without  the  formality  of  a  benediction. 

The  new  church  built  by  the  Methodists  in  1847  was  dedicated  by  Bishop 
Hamline  and  called  Roberts  Chapel.  The  ne.xt  year  the  conference  returned 
the  same  preacher,  John  H.  Hull,  who  filled  the  station  during  the  previous 
year.  In  1850  a  small  number  of  the  members  of  Roberts  Chapel  organized 
another  charge  and  built  a  one-story  brick  church  at  the  comer  of  Seminary 
and  Ephraim  streets.  Hayden  Hays  was  their  pastor.  Later  another  story 
was  added  and  the  building  dedicated  under  the  name  Simpson  Chapel. 

In  1849  and  1850  H.  N.  Barnes  was  assigned  to  Roberts  Chapel.  .A^  year 
later  Thomas  S.  Webb  came.  In  1S52  the  Northwest  Indiana  conference  was 
formed.  T.  S.  Webb  was  returned  to  Roberts  Chapel.  In  1853  came  G.  C. 
Becks;  1854,  James  Scott;  1855,  A.  G.  Chenoweth;  1856,  William  Willson; 
1857,  William  Willson  again;  1858,  G.  W.  Stafford;  1859,  G.  M.  Boyd;  i860,  • 
G.  M.  Boyd  again;  1861,  Thomas  S.  Webb;  1863,  Thomas  S.  Webb  again; 
1863,  C.  A.  Brooke;  1864,  C.  .A.  Brooke  again;  1865,  D.  F.  Barnes;  1866, 
Enoch  Holdstock;  1867,  J.  W.  Greene;  1868,  J.  W.  Greene  again;  Simpson 
Chapel,  D.  Holmes;  1869.  Roberts  Chapel,  J.  W.  Green;  Simpson  Chapel, 
A.  A.  Brown;  1870,  Roberts  Chapel,  C.  Skinner;  Simpson  Chapel,  A.  A. 
Brown.  In  1871  Roberts  and  Simpson  Chapels  were  consolidated  and  a 
mission  was  founded  in  the  south  part  of  Greencastle.  A.  A.  Gee  was  sent 
to  Roberts  Chapel.  In  1872  Doctor  Gee  was  returned  to  Roberts  Chapel,  W. 
C.  Davisson  assigned  to  the  new  mission  and  James  Spinks  to  the  Greencastle 
circuit.  In  1873,  Roberts  Chapel.  Nelson  Greene,  mission,  H.  A.  Buchtel, 
Greencastle  circuit,  W.  C.  Davisson;  1874,  Roberts  Chapel,  Samuel  Beck; 
south  charge,  H.  .A.  Buchtel;  1875.  Roberts  Chapel,  Samuel  Beck;  1876, 
Roberts  Chapel.  Samuel  Beck;  1877.  Roberts  Chapel,  Isaac  W.  Joyce;  18-8, 
Isaac  W.  Joyce. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Doctor  Joyce  in  1879  Roberts  Chapel  was  sold 
to  the  Presbyterian  church  and  a  new  building,  called  College  Avenue  church, 
erected  in  the  neighborhood.  Doctor  Joyce,  the  first  preacher  in  the  new 
charge,  remained  one  year,  being  succeeded  by  A.  Marine,  who,  in  1883,  gave 


11:2  WEIK  S    IIISTORV    OF 

way  to  J.  H.  Cissel.  The  latter  remained  till  1886.  AI.  M.  Parkhurst  served 
till  1890;  Salem  B.  Towne  till  1894;  James  H.  Holliiigsworth  till  1897;  Will- 
iam H.  Wise  till  1899  and  J.  S.  Hoagland  till  1909.  The  present  pastor  is 
Kirk  Waldo  Robbins. 

The  other  Methodist  charge  in  Greencastle,  known  as  Locust  Street 
church,  was  the  outgrowth  of  the  mission  established  in  1873  by  W.  C.  Davis- 
son,  who  afterward  became  a  missionary  in  Japan.  During  the  pastorate 
of  Rev.  H.  A.  Buchtel  in  1874,  a  new  building  was  erected  at  the  corner  of 
Anderson  and  Locust  streets.  Li  the  following  year  he  was  succeeded  by 
J.  V.  R.  Miller,  who  served  till  1876;  next  came  \V.  H.  Grim,  who  remained 
till  1879;  J.  L.  Pitner,  till  1880;  J.  W.  Webb.  1881  :  W.  R.  Halstead,  1882; 
W.  M.  Zaring,  1884;  Albert  Hurlstone,  1887;  T.  H.  Willis,  1892;  R.  R. 
Bryan.  1893:  L.  D.  Moore,  1895;  M.  A.  Farr,  1896;  J.  W.  Baker,  1898;  J. 
W.  Culmer,  1899;  W.  H.  Wylie.  1900,  and  J.  F.  O'Haver,  1903.  J.  M. 
Walker,  the  pastor  now   in   charge,   was  appointed   in    1908. 

E.KRI.Y    PRESBYTERIAN    EFFORTS. 

As  before  noted,  the  first  attempt  of  the  Presbyterian  church  to  obtain  a 
footing  in  Putnam  county  was  not  a  success.  After  the  efforts  of  Isaac 
Reed,  who  undertook  to  organize  the  church  in  August,  1825,  interest  in  the 
society  began  to  relax  and  finally  the  meetings,  which  had  been  held  in  the 
cabins  of  the  members,  ceased  altogether.  This  period  of  inaction  continued 
till  the  fall  of  1832,  when  Rev.  Samuel  G.  Lowry,  who  afterward  emigrated 
to  Minnesota,  commenced  preaching  by  special  permit  in  the  Methodist  church, 
once  and  sometimes  twice  a  month,  being  assisted  by  Rev.  James  H.  Shields. 
The  society  included  about  sixteen  persons  who  held  to  the  Presbyterian  be- 
lief. In  July,  1833,  he  organized  a  "Xew  School  Presbyterian  church."  con- 
sisting of  eighteen  members.  John  S.  Jennings  and  James  M.  Hillis  were  the 
first  eklers.  Later  Lucius  R.  Chapin.  James  Proctor.  "M.  W.  Hensley,  Jacob 
Daggv,  James  AI.  Grooms,  James  D.  Stevenson.  Charles  G.  Case,  R.  W.  Jones, 
Elias  Daggy  and  R.  S.  Ragan  served  the  church  in  like  capacity.  Mr.  Lowry"s 
services  ceased  in  1834  and  he  was  immediately  followed  by  W.  W.  Woods, 
who  remained  till  1837.  In  May,  1836,  the  town  agent  of  Greencastle,  on 
the  order  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners,  conveyed  to  the  trustees  of 
the  church  Lot  2;^  Iving  at  the  corner  of  Columbia  and  Jefferson  streets,  on 
which  the  congregation  at  once  built  a  brick  meeting  house,  which  was  dedi- 
cated in  September,  1836,  and  occupied  continuously  for  almost  twenty  years. 
In  i8si  the  erection  of  a  new  building  was  begun  on  the  lot  at  the  corner  of 


PL'TNAM     COCXTV,    IXDIAXA.  II3 

Jackson  and  Columbia  streets,  but  was  not  completed  till   18^14.     This  latter 
was  then  occupied  till  destroyed  by  fire  in  1876. 

After  Mr.  Woods  left  the  church  in  1837,  J.  R.  W'heelock.  James  H. 
Shields  and  Ransom  Hawley  filled  the  pastorate  till  1845.  After  them  came 
Thomas  S.  Milligan.  who  ministered  to  the  flock  until  1850.  being  succeeded 
by  T.  'SI.  Oviatt.  who  remained  in  charge  till  the  spring  of  1855.  ]\Ir.  Oviatt 
was  followed  by  Henry  A.  Rossiter.  whose  temi  of  service,  extending  from 
1855  to  1869.  was  longer  than  that  of  any  other  pastor.  In  1850  a  division  of 
the  church  occurred  and  the  Second  Presljyterian  church,  acting  under  dis- 
l^ensation  of  the  Old  School  assembly,  was  organized.  In  1850-51  they  erected 
a  brick  building  at  the  corner  of  Washington  street  and  College  avenue,  their 
first  pastor  being  J.  McCord.  From  1854  to  1870  they  were  ministered  to 
by  Dr.  E.  W.  Fisk.  In  i8fi8  they  sold  their  building  to  E.  T.  Keightley.  who 
soon  transferred  it  to  the  Catholic  church,  and  they  at  once  began  the  erection 
of  a  new  builcling  at  the  corner  of  Locust  and  Anderson  streets,  which  was 
later  transferred  to  the  Indiana  Female  College.  In  ?^[arch.  1870.  the  two 
congregations.  Xew  and  Old  school,  were  united  and  occupied  the  First 
church  building,  .\fter  the  consoli<lation  Dr.  Fisk  and  William  A.  Bosworth 
occupied  the  pulpit  two  \ears  or  until  187 J.  A.  W.  Williams  followed  till 
1S74:  Lucius  I.  Root,  1876;  George  G.  ^litchell.  1879:  George  ^^'.  Eainum. 
1889.  and  Harlan  P.  Corey.  189J.  Since  the  latter  date  the  pastors  in  suc- 
cession ha\e  been  Robert  M.  Dillon.  William  K.  Wea\er.  James  P.  Roth. 
-Vugustus  W.  Sonne  and  David  \'anDyke.  At  present  the  church  is  without 
a  pastor. 

Tlin:    CIIRISTIAX    CTITRCn. 

The  Christian  church  in  Putnam  county  harks  back  to  the  days  of  the 
Xew  Lights,  which  was  organized  in  1830  with  a  membership  of  several  per- 
sons, viz:  R.  S.  Tennant.  wife  an<l  daughter,  Peter  W.  Applegate  and  wife, 
and  Samuel  Ta\'lor  and  wife.  The  first  elders  were  Peter  W.  Applegate  and 
Samuel  Tavlor.  The  first  member  admitted  after  the  organization  of  the 
church  was  lohn  G  Tennant.  Soon  after  John  Reed,  \'.  K.  Reed.  Crawford 
Cole  and  others  joined.  Meetings  were  held  from  house  to  house  and  services 
were  led  by  such  preachers  as  Gilbert  Harney.  Michael  Coons,  John  OT\ane. 
John  Harris  and  others.  After  several  years  the  congregation  decided  to 
hold  meetings  in  Greencastle.  At  first  they  met  in  a  room  o\-er  a  store  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  public  S(|uare.  then  in  a  schriol  room  at  the  Count v 
Seminary  and  finally  in  the  court  house.  The  congregation,  under  the  nn'nis- 
(8) 


114 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


trations  of  such  men  as  John  B.  New,  Love  H.  Jameson,  A.  R.  Benton,  S. 
K.  Hoshour,  B.  K.  Smith,  Alfred  Flowers,  E.  P.  Goodwin,  James  E.  Mat- 
thews. Moses  E.  Laird.  Benjamin  Franklin,  M.  B.  Hopkins  and  Oliver  P. 
Badger,  was  constantly  growing  and  about  1S53  a  lot  was  purchased  at  the 
corner  of  Poplar  and  Indiana  streets  on  which  the  erection  of  a  commodious 
frame  church  was  begun.  The  building  was  dedicated  Sunday,  June  8.  1856. 
The  first  pastor  was  Oliver  P.  Badger,  a  man  of  great  piety  and  religious 
zeal  and  the  longest  continuously  active  resident  preacher  in  Greencastle. 
His  successors  in  charge  of  the  church  have  been  J.  W.  Cox,  Peter  Raines. 
S.  F.  Stimpson.  Alfred  Flower,  O.  F.  Lane.  W.  B.  Taylor,  H.  G.  Fleming,  O. 
C.  Atwater.  A.  H.  Morris.  O.  P.  Shront,  J.  E.  Powell.  Robert  Sellers  and 
Commodore  W.  Cauble.     The  present  pastor  is  J.  M.  Rudy. 

BAPTIST  ORGANIZATION. 

Although  one  of  the  oldest  church  organizations  in  the  county,  the  rec- 
ords of  the  Baptist  church  are  by  far  the  most  incomplete.  Originally  there 
were  several  congregations  of  the  denomination  in  the  county,  the  largest  one 
being  in  Greencastle.  March  3,  1837,  the  town  agent  was  ordered  to  convey 
to  the  trustees  of  the  church  a  lot  in  Greencastle,  on  which  they  erected  a 
brick  meeting  house.  This  they  used  till  1859,  when  they  purchased  another 
lot  on  the  corner  of  Water  and  Poplar  streets,  upon  which  they  erected  their 
present  church.  From  a  portion  of  the  record  of  the  minutes  of  the  church 
meetings  held  at  intervals  we  learn  that  from  1846  to  1850  John  G.  Kerr 
officiated  as  pastor,  that  he  was  succeeded  by  E.  W.  Crissey,  he  by  J.  Taylor, 
and  he  by  William  M.  Davis.     This  takes  us  down  to  1853. 

The  next  man  was  William  Freeman,  the  next  P.  H.  Evans  anrl  the  next 
J.  S.  Gillespie.  During  the  pastorate  of  the  last  named  in  1859  the  new 
church  was  built.  In  February.  1867.  the  records  of  this  church  were  de- 
stroved  by  fire  so  that  much  of  its  history  cannot  now  be  ascertained.  The 
church  being  financially  weak,  asked  for  and  received  material  assistance  from 
the  Baptist  Home  Missionary  Society.  Rev.  R.  M.  Parks  was  called  to  the 
pastorate,  but  before  the  close  of  his  first  year  the  church  building  was  almost 
completely  destroyed  by  a  cyclone.  This  was  a  heavy  blow  to  the  congrega- 
tion, but.'nothing  daunted,  they  resolved  to  rebuild  and  the  present  structure 
was  the  result.  For  some  time  the  church  was  without  a  pastor,  but  was  sup- 
plied till  1870  by  Rev.  Brown,  of  Terre  Haute.  During  the  pastorate  of  F. 
M.  Roberts,  who  came  about  this  time,  an  organ  was  purchased  for  the  Sun- 
dav  school,  which  unfortunately  caused  a  serious  division  and  consecjuent 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  II5 

loss  in  membership.  ^Ir.  Rol)erts  resigned  within  a  year  and  was  succeeded 
bv  T-  S.  Gillespie,  who  served  till  1874.  His  successors  up  to  1890  were,  in 
succession.  A.  P.  Stout.  J.  R.  Edwards,  J.  \V.  Reed,  I.  H.  Wise  and  W.  W. 
Hicks.  Since  1890  the  church  has  frequently  been  without  a  pastor.  At 
present  Rev.  D.  B.  Landes  is  in  charge. 

CATHOLIC    CHURCH    OF    ST.    PAUL   THE    APOSTLE. 

We  come  now  to  the  oldest  church  of  all,  the  Catholic — often  called  the 
mother  church.  In  the  dissemination  of  religious  knowledge  and  instmction 
it  was  the  pioneer,  for  it  established  missions  among  the  Indians  in  Illinois  and 
Indiana  long  before  the  white  man  had  undertaken  to  settle  the  new  territory. 
"Her  missionaries,"  says  one  historian,  "traversed  the  country  from  the  Ohio 
river  to  the  Great  lakes,  preaching  salvation  to  the  red  man  and  teaching  him 
the  great  truths  contained  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  Wherever  a  tribe 
was  found,  there  the  humble  priest  of  the  Catholic  church  erected  the  altar  of 
God  and  celebrated  the  sacrifice  of  the  mass,  speaking  words  of  love  and  peace 
to  the  poor  untutored  sons  of  the  forest.  Many  of  these  noble  men  yielded 
up  their  lives  at  the  hands  of  those  they  came  to  save,  but  at  last  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  Christ  conquered  the  barbarian  and  love  for  the  'black  robe'  (as 
the  priest  was  called  by  the  Indians')  took  the  place  of  hatred  in  the  heart  of 
the  savage.  Ever  afterward  the  Catholic  priest  was  a  welcome  visitor,  his 
habit  being  his  only  defense.  His  coming  was  made  a  time  of  rejoicing,  and 
the  Indians,  gathering  around,  listened  eagerly  to  the  words  of  truth  as  he 
spoke  them  forth.  All  this  was  changed  by  the  dishonesty  of  the  white 
traders,  which  turned  the  Indian's  love  to  hate  and  ever  since  he  has  remained 
the  foe  of  the  white  man." 

The  history  of  the  Catholic  church  in  Greencastle,  known  as  the  church 
of  St.  Paul  the  Apostle,  dates  back  to  1848.  when  the  Rev.  Simon  LaLumiere, 
pastor  of  St.  Joseph's  church  in  Terre  Haute,  journeyed  to  Greencastle  and 
read  the  first  mass  in  an  old  log  school  house,  the  property  of  Clinton  Walls. 
a  short  distance  northeast  of  the  village  of  Limedale.  The  early  Catholics  of 
Greencastle  and  vicinity,  but  few  of  whom  are  now  living,  were  generally 
Irish  laborers  employed  in  the  construction  of  the  V'andalia  and  Monon  rail- 
roads and  for  a  long  time  religious  services  were  held  in  private  houses.  Other 
priests  beside  the  reverend  father  mentioned  attended  to  the  spiritual  needs 
of  the  mission  in  these  early  days,  among  whom  was  the  Rev.  Daniel  Maloney, 
from  Indianapolis.  The  first  resident  pastor  was  the  Rev.  William  Doyle, 
who  was  sent  here  bv  Maurice  de  St.  Palais,  the  bi.shop  of  the  diocese  of  Vin- 
cennes.     It  was  through  the  efforts  of  Father  Doyle  that  the  congregation 


Ii6  weik'-s  history  of 

came  into  possession  of  their  first  church  property.  This  consisted  of  a  prim- 
itive chair  factory  located  on  Locust  street,  between  Anderson  and  Seminary, 
which  they  purchased  and  con\erted  into  a  house  of  worship.  There  is  a 
■tradition  that  the  owner  of  the  property  in  (juestion.  a  Protestant,  was  so 
deeply  prejudiced  against  the  further  encroachment  of  the  Catholic  denomina- 
tion that  he  refused  to  sell  the  lot  to  them  and  that  the  conveyance  was 
effected  by  a  strategem,  the  owner.  Gustavus  H.  Lilly,  being  made  to  believe 
that  the  grantee  was  intending  to  use  the  place  as  a  vinegar  factory.  This 
could  easily  ha\-e  been  accomplished  by  means  of  a  bond  for  a  deed.  At  the 
date  of  this  transaction  the  Know-nothing  movement  was  at  its  height  and 
the  prejudice  against  foreigners  and  the  Roman  Catholics  knew  no  limit. 

Rev.  Edward  O'Flaherty  followed  Father  Doyle,  ministering  to  the 
flock  at  Greencastle  and  adjacent  missions  until  1856,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  Patrick  Highland.  In  i860  the  latter  priest,  being  somewhat  ad- 
vanced in  years  and  of  feeble  health,  gave  way  to  the  Rev.  Joseph  O'Reilly, 
under  whose  ministrations  the  church  made  rapid  and  substantial  progress. 
The  church  edifice  was  repaired,  walls  plastered,  altar  erected,  proper'  vest- 
ments secured,  a  steeple  erected,  surmounted  by  the  cross,  the  building  painted 
and  the  entire  structure  greatly  improved  in  appearance.  In  May,  1864, 
Father  O'Reilly  was  transferred  to  Cambridge  City  being  followed  by  Rev. 
Charles  Maugin.  In  April.  1866.  during  the  administration  of  the  latter, 
the  old-school  Presbyterian  church  building  was  purchased  and  remodeled. 
On  June  loth  the  building  was  blessed  by  Bishop  St.  Palais  and  consecrated 
to  St.  Paul.  Xear  the  close  of  the  year  1867.  Father  Maugin  was  succeeded 
by  the  Rev.  J.  Clement,  who  made  further  and  material  alterations  to  the 
church,  but  who  died  during  his  pastorate  in  1871.  Next  came  Peter  Bischof. 
who  served  till  1874;  Dennis  O'Donnovan  till  1877:  Thomas  Logan  till  Aug- 
ust. 1880:  Michael  Power  till  18S5.  when  Father  Logan  was  returned  and 
remained  till  1888.  He  was  succeeded  by  Joseph  Macke.  who  remained  a 
year  and  was  followed  by  the  present  pastor,  Thomas  A.  McLaughlin,  whose 
record  of  service  has  excelled  in  duration  that  of  any  of  his  predecessors. 
In  1853.  under  the  administration  of  Father  O'Flaherty.  a  mission  was  estab- 
ished  at  Bainbridge  and  the  members  of  the  church  there  have  been  ministered 
to  bv  the  resident  pastor  at  Greencastle  since  that  time.  The  church  there 
many  years  ago  was  consecrated  to  St.  Patrick. 

OTHER   CHURCHES. 

Several  attempts  to  organize  and  maintain  an  Episcopalian  church  in 
Greencastle  have  been  made,  but  without  material  success.  About  twenty  years 


PUTNAM    COUNTY.    IXDIAXA.  II7 

ago  the  membership,  though  limited  in  number,  built  a  neat  little  stone  church 
at  the  comer  of  Seminary  street  and  Taylor  avenue,  and  for  a  time  supported 
a  resident  pastor,  but  only  for  a  brief  time.  After  that  meetings  were  held 
once  a  month,  led  by  clerg\-men  from  other  places,  but  finally  services  of  all 
kinds  ceased,  the  building  was  sold  and  the  church  went  out  of  existence. 

There  are  three  colored  churches  in  the  county  and  all  are  located  in 
Greencastle.  The  oldest  is  Bethel,  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
It  was  organized  about  1876.  and  met  over  a  store  room  on  the  public  square 
for  \ears.  but  about  twenty  years  ago  purchased  the  lot  on  Locust  street 
where  the  first  Catholic  church  stood  and  built  thereon  an  attractive  and  com- 
modious building  in  which  the  congregation  has  ever  since  worshipped.  It  is 
the  largest  colored  congregation  in  the  county.  Its  present  pastor  is  A.  E. 
Taylor.  There  are  also  two  other  colored  churches  in  Greencastle.  One  is 
Hinton  Chapel,  representing  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The  congre- 
gation meets  in  a  small  brick  building  which  it  owns  on  Hanna  street.  The 
pastor  is  W.  \'.  Butts.  The  other  church  is  in  the  extreme  south  part  of  the 
cit\'  and  is  known  as  St.  Paul's  Baptist  church.  It  has  no  regular  pastor,  but 
at  least  once  a  month  it  holds  ser\ices  which  are  led  l)y  the  pastors  of  churches 
who  come  from  other  places. 

THE   FIRST  SrXD.W   SCHOOL. 

This  chapter  would  be  far  from  complete  were  no  mention  to  be  made 
of  that  marselous  and  now  universal  agency  for  the  dissemination  of  religious 
knowledge  and  the  useful  instruction  of  the  young — the  Sunday  school.  In 
the  hands  of  the  Misses  ^lyra  and  Elizabeth  Goulding,  of  Greencastle,  is  a 
small  book,  about  eight  by  ten  inches  in  size,  in  the  first  page  of  which,  written 
in  a  delicate  feminine  hand  and  now  almost  faded  from  sight,  is  the  following: 

"Greencastle  Union  Sabljath  School  Register. 
"1834. 
"April  13. — A  Sabbath  school  was  opened  ijy  the  teacher  of  the  day 
school  with  twenty  young  ladies  and  children,  most  of  whom  were  her  own 
scholars.  They  were  led  in  prayer  and  received  instructions  from  Matt.  18: 
1-4.  which  ha<l  been  previously  assigned  for  the  lesson.  G.  F.  Waterman  was 
present  and  expressed  his  approbation  of  the  manner  in  which  instruction  was 
given  and  his  willingness  to  become  a  teacher.  Matt.  18:21-35  ^^'^s  assigned 
for  the  ne.xt  lesson.  School  was  dismissed  to  meet  the  next  Sabbath  at  half 
past  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning." 


iig  weik's  history  of 

The  above  entry  was  penned  by  Myra  Jewett,  afterward  married  to 
John  S.  Jennings,  and  records  the  happenings  and  exercises  of  the  first  Sun- 
day school  ever  held  in  Putnam  county.  The  story  of  how  this  good  woman 
who,  leaving  the  attractive  and  congenial  surroundings  of  her  Massachusetts 
home,  chose  to  unite  her  fortunes  with  the  hardy  settlers  in  the  backwoods 
of  Indiana,  and  especially  how  she  came  to  organize  among  these  rude  pioneers 
that  great  agency  for  the  uplift  and  betterment  of  society,  the  Sunday  school, 
is  indeed  an  incident  of  rare  interest ;  and  it  is  so  admirably  told  in  a  paper  pre- 
pared and  read  bv  Miss  Helen  Hathaway  at  a  celebration  in  1878  of  the 
fortv- fourth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  Sunday  school,  that  the  liberty 
is  taken  to  incorporate  a  portion  of  it  here.  After  reciting  the  facts  set  forth 
in  Miss  Jevvett's  diary  quoted  above.  Miss  Hathaway  says; 

"Alost  of  the  young  ladies  and  children  present  were  Miss  Jewett's  own 
scholars  in  the  school-room  which  stood  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by  Doctor 
Preston's  residence  (corner  of  College  avenue  and  Walnut  street).  The 
third  Sabbath  the  number  of  scholars  had  increased  to  thirty  and  Miss  Jewett 
was  assisted  by  Mr.  John  S.  Jennings  and  Mr.  G.  F.  Watennan,  a  lawyer  who 
had  come  to  this  place  from  Rhode  Island.  Three  others  aftenvard  entered 
the  school  as  teachers,  but  none  of  these  seem  to  have  been  permanent  teach- 
ers. On  Mav  15th  the  school  met  at  Mr.  Jennings'  house  and  continued  to 
meet  there  till  June  8th,  when  it  was  moved  to  the  Seminary,  a  one-story 
brick  building  of  two  rooms  standing  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Edward 
Hanemann's  residence.  The  school  had  increased  in  numbers  and  had  re- 
ceived a  donation  of  fi\e  dollars  from  the  school  in  Pepperell,  Massachusetts, 
Miss  Jewett's  former  home,  to  aid  in  purchasing  a  library,  and  the  agent  of 
the  American  Sunday  School  Union  donated  five  dollars  worth  of  books.  In 
July  a  meeting  was  held  at  ]\Ir.  Jennings'  house  for  the  purpose  of  effecting 
a  permanent  organization.  A  Sabbath  school  society  was  organized  with 
John  C.  Evans,  president,  and  G.  F.  Waterman,  vice-president.  Mr.  Jen- 
nings was  elected  superintendent  of  the  school  and  Miss  ^lyra  Jewett.  secre- 
tary, and  the  name  of  'The  Greencastle  Union  Sabbath  School"  adopted.  The 
society  held  a  Sunday  school  concert  for  prayer  on  July  14th  and  was  address- 
ed bv  John  Cowgill.  Esq..  on  'The  Importance  of  the  Sunday  School  to  our 
Town.  Countv  and  Xation."  These  concerts  were  held  monthly.  The  ofifi- 
cers  and  teachers  of  the  school  were  elected  by  the  society.  In  1835  a  set  of 
rules  for  the  government  of  the  school  was  adopted.  The  whole  number  of 
scholars  enrolled  during  the  first  year  of  the  school  was  eighty-nine  and  among 
them  we  notice  the  names  of  James  and  Leah  Gillespie,  John  R.  Mahan.  Wil- 
liam Ste\'enson  and  \'irginia  Walls,  now  ^Irs.  Lee.  one  of  our  present  teach- 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I  I9 

ers.  In  September  of  this  year  the  school  lost  by  death  one  of  its  valuable 
teaciiers.  Mrs.  M.  Ste\enson.  and  in  this  month  the  school  was  visited  for  the 
first  time  by  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  There  was  an  eiifort  made  to  keep  up  a 
teachers'  meeting.  Init  it  seems  that  \ery  little  interest  was  manifested  by  the 
teachers.  In  ?v[arch.  1835,  a  Methodist  Sabbath  school  was  organized,  which 
tO()k  away  a  nnmlier  of  the  scholars  and  some  of  the  teachers.  However,  in 
-Vtigiist  the  ^chool  ninnbered  sixty  or  si.\ty-fi\-e  scholars  and  seemed  too  large 
to  be  accommodated  in  the  school  room.  On  the  roll  of  the  school  for  this  vear 
we  see  the  names  of  Bishop  Osborne,  ^\'illiam  Thornburgh  and  Eliza  Hen- 
sley.  Mr.  Jennings  held  the  office  of  superintendent  for  two  vears  and  was 
elected  by  the  society  for  the  year  1836,  but  soon  after  resigned  and  Milton 
\\  .  Hensley  was  elected  to  fill  the  place.  The  school  was  fre(|uently  omitted 
on  accoimt  of  sacramental  or  camp  meetings  or  absence  of  superintendent 
and  teachers  from  town.  It  was  much  encouraged  by  donations  from  time 
to  time  from  the  school  at  Pepperell,  Massachusetts.  On  September  11,  1836, 
it  was  moved  to  the  newly-built  Presbyterian  church,  at  the  corner  of  Colum- 
bia and  Jefferson  streets.  Something  of  a  harvest  seems  to  have  been  realized 
at  this  time  from  the  labors  in  the  school,  as  a  number  of  scholars  had  united 
with  the  church.  Xexertheless.  the  secretarv-  records  rather  discouraginglv 
that  a  large  luimlier  of  scholars  had  left  the  school  and  much  inconvenience 
was  felt  from  the  cold,  as  the  means  of  making  the  house  comfortable  were 
inadequate.  R.  W.  Jones  and  three  l)rothers  and  Lewis  Rutlisill  entered 
school  this  year.  In  January.  1837,  it  is  recorded:  'School  larger  todav  than 
for  two  years.  We  have  now  the  means  for  making  the  house  comfortable 
and  ue  ha\'e  a  minister  who  comes  and  talks  to  us. 

"The  whole  number  connected  with  the  school  then  was  seventy-six  and 
in  the  s[)ring  of  that  year  several  more  united  with  the  church  and  a  new 
librar\-  was  purchased,  .\mong  the  scholars  enrolled  that  year  were  Maria 
Walls.  Sarah  J.  Daggy  (now  Mrs.  Hawkins).  Hannah  Osborne  (now  the 
wife  of  Solomon  Claypool),  .Uldison  Daggy  and  William  Daggy.  The  pres- 
ent mayor  of  our  city,  Mr.  Lucius  P.  Chapin.  and  his  brother.  John  Chapin. 
also  entered  that  year.  In  1838  the  superintendent  resigned  and  for  three 
months  the  office  was  vacant,  different  members  of  the  school  being  called 
upon  to  conduct  the  e.xercises.  Mr.  Hensley  was  again  elected  to  fill  the  office 
for  the  remainder  of  the  year,  with  James  M.  Grooms  as  secretaiy.  In  No- 
vember of  that  year  Jarvin  C.  Grooms,  then  three  years  old.  entered  the  school 
and  has.  we  presume,  lieen  a  regular  attendant  diu'ing  all  the  }-ears  since  that 
time.  Edwin  Black,  with  two  brothers.  aLso  entered  at  this  time.  For  the 
\ear  1840  ]M.  W.  Hensley  was  elected  suiJeriutendent  and  we  belie\e  held  the 


I20  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

.office  one  _\ear.  I)eiiig  succeeded  l)y  James  'SI.  (jrooms.  About  this  time  sev- 
eral of  the  teachers  and  scholars  went  over  the  creek,  north  of  town,  and 
organized  a  branch  school  with  Mr.  Jacob  Dagg_\-  superintendent.  In  the 
records  for  1843  are  fiiund  the  names  of  some  new  teachers  admitted,  among 
them  being  Addison  Daggy,  R.  L.  Hathaway  and  Elizabeth  Grooms.  Among 
the  minutes  for  March  we  notice  that  Mr.  Gookins  from  Terre  Haute  ad- 
dressed the  school.     *     *     *     * 

"In  1844  the  library  was  replenished  by  a  donation  of  two  hundred  vol- 
umes and  Jacol)  Daggy  was  elected  superintendent.  In  1845  Mr.  Jennings 
was  again  cliosen  superintendent  and  D.  C.  Proctor,  secretary  and  librarian. 
In  1846.  or  perhaps  a  short  time  previous  thereto,  the  Baptists  organized  a 
scho()l  nearbv.  which  took  away  some  of  the  scholars.  In  this  year  a  juvenile 
missionary  society  was  formed.  In  1847  the  officers  were  J.  M.  Grooms, 
superintendent.  D.  C.  Proctor,  secretaiy,  and  John  R.  ]\Iahan,  librarian.  The 
school  was  reported  in  a  flourishing  condition  and  a  library  of  one  hundred 
volumes  purchased.  On  Saturday.  May  ist.  the  school  celebrated  its  thir- 
teenth aimiversary  at  the  church.  The  Methodist  and  Baptist  schools  joined 
in  the  celebration.  Rev.  Cyrus  Xutt  opened  the  meeting  with  prayer  and 
Rev.  Mr.  Milligan  and  Rev.  Mr.  Carr  delivered  addresses,  after  which  all 
partook  of  refreshments  and  then  formed  a  procession  headed  by  the  Putnam 
Band." 

MYR-V    JEWETT. 

Interesting  though  it  may  be.  the  linntations  of  space  forbid  further  ac- 
count of  this  now  historic  Sunday  school :  but  we  cannot  pass  from  the  subject 
without  a  brief  word  respecting  the  memory  of  Myra  Jewett.  its  founder. 
She  was  bom  in  Pepperell.  Massachusetts,  in  1802.  and  was  the  oldest  in  a 
family  of  thirteen  children.  Her  sister  is  authority  for  the  statement  that 
'"the  limited  means  of  her  parents  made  it  a  difficult  matter  for  them  to  give 
their  laro-e  family  the  advantages  for  education  which  they  desired.  Init.  with 
that  persistent  energv  and  determination  which  has  always  been  a  stn^ngly 
marked  ciiaracteristic.  she  overcame  the  obstacles  that  lay  in  her  way.  Her 
great  ilesire  was  to  qualifv  herself  for  the  office  of  a  teacher,  that  she  might 
'do  g(ii)d.'  not  onlv  bv  imparting  to  the  youtli  that  knowledge  which  would 
prepare  them  fur  active  duties  of  life,  but  further  than  this,  that  she  might  by 
precept  and  example  incite  them  to  lives  of  unselfish  devotion  to  higher  and 
nobler  aims  than  simplv  living  for  their  own  enjoyment  or  for  the  gratification 
of  worldiv  ambition." 


PUTNAM    COLXTY.    INDIANA.  121 

For  a  time  she  was  a  \m\n\  of  Marv  Lvons.  who  made  the  scliijol  at  Aft. 
Holyoke  famous,  and  was  deeply  influenced  by  her  teachings.  Says  her  sister  : 
"She  tauglit  for  six  or  seven  years  in  her  native  state,  but  her  s\inpathies  were 
early  enlisted  bv  accounts  of  the  great  need  of  teachers  in  the  newly  settleil 
regions  of  the  'b^ar  West.'  as  Indiana  was  called  in  those  days.  But  a  jour- 
ne\-  fmm  Massachusetts  to  Indiana  at  that  time  was  a  far  different  affair  from 
what  it  is  now.  There  was  only  one  short  railroail  in  the  route  from  Albany 
to  Schenectad}-.  The  rest  of  the  journey  was  toilsome  and  tedious,  being  per- 
formed by  stage,  by  steamer  across  the  lake,  by  canal  and  by  private  con\'e\'- 
ance.  Her  traveling  companions  on  this  wearisome  journey  were  the  late 
Prof.  Caleb  Mills  and  a  Miss  Wvatt,  also  a  teacher.  Soon  after  her  arrival 
in  Greencastle,  she  rented  and  furnished  a  room  and  opened  her  school.  This 
school  she  continued  to  teach,  struggling  along  alone  amid  many  trials,  dififi- 
culties  and  discouragements,  for  three  vears,  when  a  younger  sister  came  to 
shai'e  her  lai)ors.'" 

The  school  was  not  a  pecuniary  success.  Miss  Jewett  found  at  the  close 
of  the  first  term  that  after  paying  her  board  and  the  expenses  of  the  school 
room  she  was  in  debt  one  dollar.  At  the  end  of  the  succeeding  term  she  had 
a  net  sm-plus  of  one  dollar,  but  at  the  close  of  the  third  term  she  again  faced 
a  tleficit  of  a  dollar.  After  this  for  one  or  two  terms  she  managed  to  make 
the  two  sides  of  the  account  balance.  There  was  scarcely  ever  a  surplus  again. 
"But  hers  was  a  true  missionan*'  work  and  this  was  a  labor  of  love."  con- 
tinues her  sister.  "But  she  was  not  satisfied  with  the  work  of  the  day  school 
merely  and  in  1834  she  gathered  together  a  few  of  her  scholars  and  some 
others  in  her  school-room  and  taught  the  first  Sabliath  school.  For  manv 
years — indeed  as  long  as  strength  pennitted — she  was  an  earnest,  faithful 
teacher,  always  at  her  po.'^t  and  always  enforcing  by  her  own  pure,  lovelv  and 
consistent  life  the  principles  which  she  endea\ored  to  instill  into  the  minds  of 
her  pupils. 

"In  the  sjjring  of  '836  she  was  compelled  in  conseijuence  of  ill-health,  to 
resign  tiie  schnol  entirely  to  her  sister,  but  upon  the  marriage  of  the  latter. 
June  7th.  she  again  resumed  the  office  <if  teacher,  which  she  continued  to  fill 
till  her  own  marriage  to  John  S.  Jennings,  .\ugust  13.  1841.  She  was  the 
mother  ni  two  children,  both  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  .\lwa_\-s  tlelicate  from 
a  child,  her  long  life  was  attended  by  much  suffering,  yet  in  all  these  manv 
long,  wearisome  ilays  of  languor  and  the  nights  of  pain  no  one  ever  heard  a 
murnnn-  nr  complaint  from  her  lips.  She  passed  from  earth  June  13.  18S0. 
Those  wIkj  attended  her  and  mini.stered  to  her  wants  can  testify  to  her  patient 
resignation  and  cheerful  submission  to  the  sufferings  which  slie  felt  were  sent 
b\-  the  lo\  ing  Tleax-enh-  Father  for  her  good.' 


122  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

A  modest,  forbearing,  but  earnest  woman,  she  shrank  instinctively  from 
any  sort  of  public  contact.  She  strove  to  do  her  full  duty  without  popular 
acclaim.  When  ill  health  at  last  drove  her  into  the  privacy  of  her  home,  she 
welcomed  the  seclusion  it  insured.  It  was  a  congenial  retreat  and  there,  sur- 
rounded by  her  flowers,  of  which  she  was  devotedly  fond,  she  spent  the  few 
remaining  years  of  her  useful  and  beautiful  life  confidently  awaiting  the  sum- 
mons which  finally  comes  to  us  all.  So  lived  and  died  this  good  woman  and 
when  the  historian  of  the  future  shall  undertake  the  story  of  Greencastle  and 
Putnam  county  his  work  will  surely  come  to  naught  if  he  fails  to  include 
among  those  entitled  to  the  regard  and  veneration  of  posterity  the  patient 
zeal,  the  tolerant,  angelic  spirit  and  the  unswerving  devotion  of  Myra  Jewett. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FRATERNAL    SOCIETIES    AXD    CLUBS. 

The  first  benevolent  or  fraternal  society  in  Putnam  county  of  which 
there  is  any  record  was  Temple  Lodge.  No.  47,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
It  was  organized  May  28,  184J,  and  for  a  long  time  met  in  the  upper  story 
of  a  frame  building  on  the  south  side  of  the  public  square  near  the  present 
quarters  of  the  Central  National  Bank.  The  records  of  the  order  show  that 
the  following  were  the  first  officers:  Samuel  Taylor,  worshipful  master: 
John  Sala.  senior  warden:  William  L.  Hart,  junior  warden:  Lewis  H.  Sands. 
secretan.' ;  Samuel  Dicks,  treasurer:  C.  G.  Ballard,  senior  deacon:  Jesse 
Dicks,  junior  deacon:  Hiram  P.  Walker,  tyler:  C.  J.  Hand,  past  master; 
W.   C.   Larrabee.  cliaplain. 

It  is  recorded  that  at  the  installation  of  the  officers  Professor  Larra- 
bee delivered  an  address  of  such  weight  and  acceptability,  an  order  was 
made  that  it  be  furnished  to  the  editor  of  the  Greencastle  Visitor  for  pub- 
lication in  that  journal.  The  membership  at  the  date  of  organization  was 
not  in  excess  of  fifteen :  at  present  it  is  over  two  hundred.  The  officers 
elected  for  1910  are  as  follows:  Earl  C.  Lane,  worshipful  master:  M.  Syl- 
vester Miller,  senior  warden :  Benjamin  P.  King,  junior  warden ;  James 
]McD.  Hays,  treasurer:  Edward  E.  Caldwell,  secretary;  James  L.  Randel. 
senior  deacon :  Lawrence  H.  Athey,  junior  deacon ;  Eugene  Schmidt  and 
Jesse  D.  Hughes,  stewards;  Charles  W.  Huffman,  tyler:  James  L.  Ran- 
del. Jerome  M.  King,  William  B.  Vestal,  trustees. 

ROYAL    ARCH     MASON'S. 

Mav  16.  1S51.  Greencastle  Chapter,  No.  22.  Royal  Arch  Masons,  was 
organized.  The  original  officers  chosen  were :  P.  G.  E.  Hunt,  high  priest ; 
John  Plill.  king:  Peter  W.  Applegate,  scribe:  Henr\'  W,  Daniels,  captain 
of  thehost;  D.  L.  Hamilton,  principal  sojourner;  William  Turk,  royal  arch 
cai)tain :  .A.  \'.  H<nigh,  ma.'^ter  first  veil;  B.  F.  Hays,  master  second  veil: 
\N'.  C.   Larraliee.  master  third  x'eil. 

In  the  spring  of  1853  interest  in  the  chapter  began  to  wane  and  finally 
the  meetings  ceased  altogether.  This  condition  of  inactivity  continued  for 
years,   in    fact   until   October   29,    i860,   when   a   new  dispensation    fn^m   the 


124  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

grand  chapter  was  received  and  meetings  were  renewed.  .\t  this  time  J. 
U.  L.  Feenister  was  high  priest:  B.  F.  Hays,  captain  of  the  host;  R.  W. 
Jones,  principal  sojourner;  A.  M.  Puett,  royal  arch  captain,  and  Samuel 
Catherwood,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  original  members  numbered  about  twenty-five,  but  the  list  has 
increased  until  today  it  includes  a  membership  of  one  hundred  sixty-nine. 
The  officers  chosen  this  year  are  as  follows:  Joseph  F.  Gillespie,  high  priest; 
William  F.  Baney.  king;  Deloss  F".  Albin.  scribe;  James  McD.  Hays, 
treasurer;  Edward  E.  Caldwell,  secretary;  M.  Sylvester  Miller,  captain  of 
the  host;  Fred  S.  ^NlcXary.  principal  sojourner;  Frank  S.  Bittles,  royal  arch 
captain;  William  H.  H.  Cullen,  grand  master  third  veil;  Gray  Potter,  grand 
master  second  veil;  Eugene  Schmidt,  grand  master  first  veil;  Charles  Huff- 
man, guard;  William  M.  Flouck,  Amos  E.  Ayler.  James  L.  Randel,  trus- 
tees. 

KNIGHTS    TEMPLAR. 

Ten  vears  after  the  organization  of  the  chapter,  a  commandery.  known 
as  Greencastle  Commandery,  No.  ii.  Knights  Templar,  was  founded.  The 
charter  was  dated  April  3,  1867,  and  the  following  officers  were  chosen: 
Sir  Henry  W.  Daniels,  eminent  commander;  Sir  Louis  Weik,  generalissimo; 
Sir  William  Daggv,  captain  general;  Sir  William  G.  Burnett,  prelate;  Sir 
Samuel  Catherwood.  treasurer;  Sir  James  i\IcD.  Hays,  recorder;  Sir  John 
W.  Reeves,  senior  warden;  Sir  Benjamin  Pritchard.  junior  warden;  Sir 
Benjamin  F.  Hays,  standard  bearer;  Sir  Elijah  T.  Keightley.  sword  bearer; 
Sir  John  A.  Crose.  warder;  Sir  Solomon  Henry,  sentinel. 

Up  to  the  year  1910  its  membership  had  almost  reached  a  hundred  and 
it  was  officered  as  follows:  Sir  A.  Evan  Ayler.  eminent  commander;  Sir 
R.  S.  Cow  gill,  generalissimo;  Sir  Raser  Bittles.  captain  general;  Sir  Lewis 
A.  Zaring.  senior  warden ;  Sir  James  ^^^  Carver,  junior  warden  ;  Sir  Clar- 
ence E.  Crawlev,  prelate;  Sir  Edwin  E.  Black,  treasurer;  Sir  James  McD. 
Hays,  recorder:  Sir  Edward  E.  Coffman.  standard  I^earer;  Sir  Emmett 
Greene,  sword  bearer;  Sir  David  W.  Campbell,  warder:  Sir  Charles  W. 
Huffman,  sentinel;  Sir  James  L.  Randel.  Sir  William  B.  Vestal.  Sir  William 
M.  Houck.  trustees. 

There  are  Masonic  lodges  in  other  parts  of  the  county  as  follows: 

Bainbridge  Lodge.  Xo.  J^.  at  Bainbridge :  Milton  Brown,  worshipful 
master:  ].  L.  McKee.  secretar}-. 

Roaclulale  Lodge.  Xd.  hoj.  at  Ruachdale :  Lon  L.  \\'orrell.  wnr-hip- 
ful  master:  Cecirgc  \\'.  Irwin,  secretary. 


PL'T.XAM     COr.VTV,    INDIANA.  I25 

Cloxerdak  Lodge.  Xo.  132.  at  Cloverdale ;  H.  C.  Foster,  worshipful 
master;  H.  B.  ^[artin.  secretan.-. 

Applegate  Lodge.  Xo.  155,  at  Fillmore;  Jasper  P'roctor.  worshipful 
master;  J.  W.  Randolph,  secretary. 

Morton  Lodge.  X'o.  4^39,  at  Morton;  S.  \'.  Thomas,  worshipful  mas- 
ter ;  D.  P.  Ale.xander.  secretary. 

Russellville  Lodge.  X'o.  141.  at  Russellville ;  Ernest  Simpson,  worship- 
ful nu.ster;  Joseph  Fordyce.  secretary. 

IXDEPr.XDENT    ORDER    OF    ODD    FELLOW'S. 

Following  the  Masons,  the  ne.xt  fraternal  order  estahlished  in  the  coun- 
ty was  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  The  first  lodge  was  in- 
stituted at  Greencastle.  July  10.  1847.  It  was  called  Putnam  Lodge.  Xo. 
45.  Its  officers  were:  \V.  McClure.  noble  grand;  Elisha  Adamson.  \"ice 
grand;  Isaac  Dunn,  secretary;  Samuel  X'oel.  treasurer. 

The  lodge  is  still  in  a  flourishing  condition.  June  30,  1870.  another 
lodge,  known  as  Greencastle  Lodge.  X'o.  348.  was  established.  It  began 
with  a  membership  of  fifteen  as  follows;  Henry  Metzler.  Thomas  L  \^'al!s. 
G.  W.  Beauchamp.  Isaac  H.  INIorris.  Thomas  'M.  Bowman.  Charles  G.  B(3w- 
man.  Louis  Weik,  George  D.  Blakey.  James  Daggy.  Levi  Cohn.  Robert  AI. 
Black.  David  H.  Stevenson,  Heim-  C.  Perkins.  James  Hopkins.  Lorenzo 
D.  Crawley  and  .Albert  Allen.  Its  officers  at  present  are :  John  F.  Williams, 
noble  grand ;  Edw  ard  AVoodman,  \'ice  grand ;  F.  E.  Crawley,  secretary ; 
Charles  Kiefer,  treasurer. 

Outside  of  Greencastle.  Odd  Fellows  lodges  have  been  established  in 
various  parts  of  the  county.  At  present  lodges  are  in  existence  as  follo\vs : 

Roachdale.  A\'.  M.  Davis,  noble  grand;  Lon  T.  Grider.  secretar\-. 
Russellville.  R.  Ridlin.  noble  grand ;  W.  P.  Byrd.  secretary. 
Fillmore.  John  Jackson,  noble  grand;  Marion  Sinclair,  secretan-. 
Cloverdale,   J.   F.    Randsopher.   noble  grand ;  John   AVard,   secretary. 
Mt.  Meriflian.  Har\ey  Stone,  nibble  grand;  L.  F.  Knight,  secretar^•. 

KXIGHTS    OF    PYTHIAS. 

Januarv  J4.  187-'.  Eagle  Lodge.  X'o.  16.  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  es- 
tablished in  ("treencastle.     The  charter  members  numbered  seventeen,  as   fob 


126  WEIK  3    HISTORY    OF 

lows:  John  Gilmore,  H.  H.  Morrison,  Charles  W.  Talburt,  W.  W.  Dun- 
nington,  G.  H.  Brown,  W.  J.  Ashton.  J.  B.  McCormick,  J.  A.  Hill,  A.  Brock- 
way,  J.  F.  Darnall,  A.  R.  Brattin.  E.  Dunnington,  Charles  W.  Daggy,  D.  W. 
Brattin,  F.  Fordyce,  G.  M.  Black  and  J.  M.  Knight.  There  is  no  record  of 
the  first  officers.  The  lodge  still  continues  in  a  flourishing  condition,  meet- 
ing in  handsome  and  newly  equipped  quarters  and  has  an  active  membership 
of  about  one  hundred  and  fifteen.  Its  officers  chosen  in  January,  1910, 
are  as  follows:  Eugene  Hawkins,  chancellor  commander;  Charles  T.  Peck, 
vice  chancellor;  Thomas  T.  Moore,  prelate;  Ferdinand  Lucas,  master  at 
arms;  J.  Y.  Denton,  keeper  of  records  and  seal;  Roy  M.  Abrams,  master 
of  exchequer:  John  W.  Sutherlin,  master  of  finance;  W.  M.  McGaughey, 
inner  guard ;  J.  O.  Cammack,  outer  guard ;  A.  B.  Hanna,  C.  H.  Bamaby, 
J.   C.   Brothers,  trustees. 

MODERN   WOODMEN  OF  AMERIC.\. 

The  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  are  represented  by  seven  camps 
in  the  county.  Camp  No.  5616  is  at  Russellville,  No.  61 10  at  Roachdale, 
No.  7055  at  Bainbridge,  No.  7194  at  Clove rdale,  No.  9840  at  Fincastle,  and 
No.  1 1 155  at  Portland  Mills. 

Camp  No.  3349  at  Greencastle,  the  first  one  in  the  county,  was  organized 
November  13,  1S95.  The  charter  members  were  D.  W.  Alspaugh,  Thomas 
Abrams,  M.  J.  Beckett,  H.  R.  Callender,  P.  O.  Colliver,  A.  W.  Cooper,  G. 
W.  Cooper,  Albert  Daggy.  J.  S.  Dowling,  E.  G.  Fry,  F.  G.  Gilmore,  E. 
A.  Hamilton.  A.  B.  Hanna.  E.  L.  Harris,  W.  L.  Harris,  J.  M.  House,  C. 
K.  Hughes,  C.  W.  Landes,  F.  L.  Landes,  H.  C.  Lewis,  R.  L.  O'Hair,  O. 
F.  Overstreet.  \V.  E.  Peck,  H.  S.  Renick,  L.  A.  Steeg.  J.  B.  Tucker,  W. 
W.  Tucker.  J.  E.  Vermillion,  Jesse  \V.  Weik. 

The  election  of  officers  resulted  as  follows:  H.  L.  Renick,  venerable 
consul;  Albert  .\.  Dagg}-.  worthy  adviser;  E.  L.  Harris,  escort;  O.  F.  Over- 
street,  clerk;  Edward  G.  Fry,  watchman;  Louis  A.  Steeg,  sentry;  W.  W. 
Tucker,    physician. 

The  Greencastle  Camp  is  still  maintained,  the  membership  constantly 
increasing  in  number.  There  have  been  thirteen  deaths  since  the  camp  was 
first  established.  The  last  officers  elected  were:  Consul,  L.  D.  Snider;  worthy 
adviser.  W.  W.  Soper;  banker.  W.  M.  Blake;  clerk,  R.  A.  Confer;  escort, 
W.  G.  Adams;  watchman,  R.  K.  ^Michaels;  sentry,  L.  E.  Figg;  manager, 
Oscar  Obenchain :  physicians.  W.  \V.  Tucker.  C.  Sudranski. 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  12J 


FRATERNAL   ORDER    OF    EAGLES. 


March  12,  1907,  Greencastle  Aerie,  No.  1753,  Fraternal  Order  of 
Eagles,  was  organized.  It  has  almost  a  hundred  members.  Its  officers  are: 
Frank  Green,  worthy  president;  M.  D.  Ricketts.  past  worthy  president;  Wil- 
liam Sutherlin.  secretary;  William  Eiteljorg.  treasurer;  Fred  Johns,  worthy 
\-ice  president. 

The  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men  is  represented  in  the  county  by  a 
tribe  known  as  Otoe  Tribe,  Xo.  140,  established  at  Greencastle  March  28, 
1S92.  It  is  still  in  a  vigorous  and  flourishing  condition  and  is  gradually 
gaining  in  membership.  Its  officers  elected  for  1910  are:  Fred  Allen,  sachem; 
E.  McG.  Walls,  chief  of  records;  Edward  Hoffman,  keeper  of  wampum. 

ORDER  OF  BEN    HUR. 

The  Order  of  Ben  Hur,  represented  by  Greencastle  Lodge,  No.  102, 
was  organized  January  19,  1S98.  It  now  has  in  e.xcess  of  two  hundred  mem- 
bers and  is  governed  by  the  following  officers:  J.  1.  I'lgg,  chief;  Mary  Johns, 
judge;  Ella  flyers,  teacher;  Fred  Reising,  keeper  of  tribute;  Minnie  A. 
Kiefer,  scribe;  May  Crawley,  captain;  E.  Figg.  guide;  Kate  Jordan,  outer 
guard;  Louisa  Reising,  inner  guard. 

BENEXOLENT    AND    PROTECTIVE    ORDER    OF    ELKS. 

Greencastle  Lodge,  No.  1077,  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks  of  the  L'nited  States  of  .America,  was  organized  in  the  city  of  Green- 
castle. Indiana,  on  June  27,  1907.  Charter  members:  J.  L.  Hamilton,  J. 
P.  Hughes,  John  F.  Cannon,  James  E.  Vermillion,  Charlie  T.  Conn,  J.  L. 
Randel,  C.  P.  Broadstreet.  Harry  M.  Smith.  Henr>-  S.  Renick.  Wm.  M. 
Sutherlin.  A.  Evan  Ayler,  Harry  Goldberg,  William  A.  Beemer.  Ernest  P. 
Wright,  James  L.  Watson.  Fred  C.  Hohn,  Frank  E.  Crawley,  Edward  C. 
Hamilton,  Flarry  B.  }*Iartin.  John  W.  Young,  Thomas  Brothers.  AVilliam 
P.  Ledbetter.  .Albert  Hann-ick.  C.  C.  Gillen,  John  S.  Dowling. 

The  first  officers  of  the  lodge  were:  E.xalted  ruler,  James  L.  Hamilton; 
esteemed  leading  knight.  James  P.  Hughes ;  esteemed  loyal  knight.  John  F. 
Cannon :  esteemed  lecturing  knight,  James  E.  Vermilion ;  secretary,  C.  T. 
Conn;  treasurer,  J.  L.  Randel;  trustees.  C.  P.  Broadstreet.  H.  Al.  Smith 
and  H.  S.  Renick;  tyler,  William  M.  Sutherlin.  The  present  officers  are: 
Exalted  ruler.  James  E.  Vermilion ;  esteemed  leading  knight,  James  L.  Wat- 


128  WEIK  S    lUSTORV    OF 

S(Mi;  esteemed  loval  knight,  C.  C.  Gillen ;  esteemed  lecturing  knight.  Rees 
F.  ]\[atson;  secretary.  Ernest  Stoner;  treasurer,  J.  L.   Randel ;  tyler.   Frank 

J.  Cannon.  Jr.;  trustees,  C.  P.  Broadstreet,  H.  M.  Smith  and  E.  B.  Lynch. 

The  lodge  has  increased  from  a  membership  of  twenty-seven  at  the  date 
of  institution  to  a  membership  of  two  hundred  and  one  within  three  years. 

LITER.XKV    .\.\'D    SOCI.VL    0RC..\NIZATI0XS. 

Not  onlv  Greencastle,  but  e\-ery  town  and  village  in  the  county,  has 
its  proportion  of  women's  clubs.  So  numerous  have  they  Ijecome  that  they 
have  exhausted  the  entire  nomenclature  of  literature  and  historv  in  the 
search  for  names  and  titles.  To  list  their  membership  or  even  attempt  to 
classify  them  would  swell  this  volume  to  undue  proportions,  but  as  it  hap- 
pens that  the  first  woman's  club  ever  organized  in  Indiana  was  in  Putnam 
countv  and  as  it  still  flourishes  like  a  green  bay  tree,  we  cannut  well  omit  the 
brief  recital  of  its  history  here.  February  14.  1874.  fifteen  of  the  good 
women  of  Greencastle,  believing  a  mutual  exchange  of  ideas  on  the  ques- 
tions of  the  day  would  be  helpful  and  productive  of  good  results,  met  at  a 
private  residence  in  the  town  and  organized  what  they  termed  the  Woman's 
Reading  Club  of  Greencastle.  The  idea  was  to  issue  books,  which  were  to 
be  read  and  dulv  reviewed  and  discussed :  but  ere  long  the  book  feature 
dropped  out  and  the  club  became  a  veritable  forum.  Avhere  all  questions 
that  in  anv  wav  warranted  the  intervention  or  judgment  of  the  women  of 
Greencastle  were  submitted  for  discussion.  The  name  thereafter  reduced 
itself  to  the  Woman's  Club  of  Greencastle.  Of  the  original  fifteen  charter 
members  less  than  half  are  living.  The  names  were:  Airs.  Hester  Downey. 
Mrs.  Fmily  Hovt.  Mrs.  Roxanna  Ridpath.  IMr':.  Mary  Flanimond,  Miss 
.\nna  O'Brieu,  Mrs.  T.  F.  Farp.  Mrs.  Jerome  Allen.  Mrs.  .\ll)ert  .\llen.  Mrs. 
R.  Andrus.  ^Mrs.  W.  D.  Allen.  Mrs.  J.  Wilcox.  Mrs.  J.  Tingley.  Mrs.  G.  J. 
Langsdale.   Miss   Elizabeth   .\nies  and   Miss   Fannie   Donnohue. 

The  membership  is  limited  to  thirty  members.  The  club  still  meets 
fortnightly  in  the  parlor  of  Woman's  Hall.  DePauw  University.  Its  present 
officers  are;  Mrs.  J.  R.  Miller,  president:  Mrs.  S.  J.  Washburn,  first  vice- 
l)resi(lent:  Mrs.  J.  G.  Dunbar.  ..•second  vice-president:  Mrs.  E.  F.  Edwards, 
third  vice-president:  Mrs.  S.  A.  Hays,  recording  secretary:  Airs.  J.  H. 
Smvthe.  corresponding  secretary:  Mrs.  F.  A.  Arnold,  treasurer:  Mrs.  J. 
P.  D.  Tohn.  Mrs.  W.  F.  Swahlen.  critics :  Miss  Josephine  Donnohue.  coun- 
cil member. 

In  the  lifetime  of  the  late  Jerome  Allen,  of  Greencastle.  he  invited  to 
hishiimedne  evening  a  ciMiipany  of  gentlemen  representing  the  literary,  com- 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


129 


mercial  and  agricultural  interests  of  the  community  to  discuss  with  them  the 
propriety  of  forming  a  society  or  organization  on  the  order  of  the  Woman's 
Club.  The  result  of  the  meeting  was  the  Gentlemen's  Club,  which  adopted 
a  constitution  and  was  duly  organized  December  14,  1891.  The  following 
were  the  charter  members :  H.  A.  Gobin,  P.  S.  Baker,  S.  A.  Hays,  L.  AI. 
Underwood,  S.  B.  Town.  Jesse  \V.  \\"eik,  C.  A.  Waldo,  H.  H.  Mathias,  H. 
B.  Longdon.  J.  C.  Ridpath.  W.  C.  Bronson,  J.  R.  Weaver,  T.  C.  Hammond. 
G.  C.  Smythe.  .\lbert  Hurlstone,  .\lbert  Allen,  Jonathan  Birch  and  Jerome 
Allen. 

Dr.  John  Clark  Ridpath  was  elected  president  and  Henrv  B.  Long- 
don, secretary-.  The  present  officers  are  J.  P.  Allen,  Sr..  president,  and  Jack- 
son Boyd,  secretary.     The  membership  is  also  limited  to  thirty. 

On  December  13,  1902,  a  branch  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution,  known  as  Washburn  Chapter,  was  organized  in  Greencastle. 
As  the  memijership  is  limited  to  the  descendants  of  those  who  fought  or 
materially  aided  the  cause  of  the  Americans  in  the  Revolution,  thote  en- 
titled to  admission  were  necessarily  small  in  number.  The  charter  members 
numbered  thirteen,  as  follows:  Mrs.  Blanche  Allen.  Miss  Ella  Beckwith  Miss 
Emma  Beckwith,  Mrs.  P.  O.  Cole,  :\Irs.  Louise  Denman,  Miss  Laura  L. 
Florer.  ^Jrs.  Clara  Lammers,  Miss  Pearl  O'Hair,  Mrs.  Mary  W.  Renick.  Mrs! 
Caroline  H.  Swahlen.  :\Iiss  Anna  M.  Washburn,  Mrs.  Lida  G.  Massey  and 
-Mrs.  Lelia  W.  DeMotte.  The  order  has  continued  in  active  operation  and 
is  membership  has  increased  to  about  thirty-f^ve.  It  meets  once  a  month 
during  eight  months  of  the  year,  and  in  every  reasonable  wav  strives  to 
perpettiate  the  memory  of  our  Revolutionary  ancestors  and  keep  alive  the 
fires  of  patrotism  in  every  part  of  the  land.  Its  last  officers,  elected  in  De- 
cember. u)oq.  are  as  follows:  Mrs.  Lelia  W.  DeMotte.  regent:  Mrs.  Caro- 
line H.  Swahlen.  vice-regent:  Mrs.  Ferdinand  J.ucas.  recorrling  secretary 
Mrs.  Xellie  Ander.son.  corresponding  secretary;  Mrs.  Clara  Lammers.  regis- 
trar: Miss  Laura  Florer.  historian:  ^Jrs.  Anna  .\.  Smith,  treasurer. 

r.R.VXD  ARMY  OF  THE   REPfBLIC. 

The  memon-  of  the  Civil  war  period  and  the  histor>-  of  the  heroic  deeds 
of  the  soMiers  of  that  immortal  struggle  are  kept  alive  by  the  Grand  Armv 
of  the  Republic.  In  Putnam  county  the  first  post,  known  as  Greencastle 
Post.  Xo.  ir.  was  organized  September  12.  1879.  The  first  officers  chosen 
were.  George  J.  Langsdale.  commander:  James  F.  Fee.  senior  vice-com- 
mander: James  .\.  Jackson,  junior  vice-commander;  John  M    Ivni"-ht 

(<))  —  .^     .   .ur- 


I30 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


geon :  Patterson  ATcNiitt.  chaplain;  M.  J.  Cooper,  officer  of  the  day;  Benja- 
min WilHams,  outer  guard ;  Jesse  Richardson,  adjutant. 

The  order  was  very  popular  and  its  numbers  increased  until  it  in- 
cluded at  one  time  over  two  hundred  members,  but  as  none  but  actual  Union 
soldiers  are  entitled  to  admission  and  as  the  veterans  are  rapidly  crossing  to 
the  "camp-ground"  on  the  other  side  of  the  great  river,  its  ranks  are  di- 
minishing.    In  a  few  brief  vears  the  order  will  be  extinct. 


CHAPTER  MIL 


BANKS   AND   BANKING 


Putnam  count v  had  not  long  been  settled  until  there  came  a  need  for 
a  place  where  the  people  might,  with  safety,  deposit  their  surplus  funds. 
Banks  of  exchange  had  not  yet  become  general  in  the  state,  but  as  most  peo- 
ple arriving  in  the  county  were  possessed  of  a  little  money  they  sought  a 
safe  place  to  deposit  the  same  until  they  could  find  an  acceptable  investment. 
The  only  safe  in  the  county  was  in  the  store  of  Capt.  W.  H.  Thornburgh 
and  there  most  of  those  who  had  surplus  funds  were  accustomed  to  deposit 
their  spare  money.  It  is  not  tmfair  to  state  that  these  deposits  were  a  dis- 
advantage to  the  Captain,  because  he  was  not  an  accurate  bookkeeper  and 
allowed  the  deposits  to  mingle  with  his  own  funds  so  that  he  finally  came 
to  over-estimate  his  own  wealth  and  indulged  in  some  degree  in  specula- 
tive investments.  The  result  was  inevitable,  but  to  the  Captain's  credit  be 
it  said  he  paid  eveiy  depositor  in  full,  without  the  loss  of  a  dollar. 

The  first  bank  was  a  broker's  office  established  about  1854  by  Augustus 
D.  Wood,  on  the  south  side  of  Washington  street  between  Indiana  and  Vine 
streets  in  Greencastle.  He  was  joined  by  Major  W.  D.  Allen,  and  ere  long 
they  moved  to  a  building  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  public  square  and 
opened  up  for  business  as  the  Exchange  Bank.  In  a  short  time  the  concern 
was  incorporated  under  the  same  name  and  proceeded  to  do  business  under 
the  free  bank  law  of  Indiana.  Its  capital  was  fifty  thousand  dollars  and 
W.  D.  Allen  was  its  president.  Later  the  banking  office  was  removed  to  a 
building  on  the  south  side  of  Washington  street  in  the  block  east  of  the  court 
house,  where  it  continued  to  do  a  prosperous  business  till  the  winter  of 
1866-67  when,  owing  to  the  speculations  of  its  officers,  it  closed  its  doors 
and  its  presitlent  executed  a  mortgage  to  its  depositors  to  secure  their 
claims. 

Shortly  Ijefore  this,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street.  E.  T.  Keightley, 
in  connection  with  William  W.  Brown.  S.  Legate  and  George  Legate,  had 
started  a  private  bank,  which,  with  limited  capital,  secured  a  fair  share  of 
the  community's  business  for  several  years.  About  1871  the  Farmers  Bank 
was  organized  and  opened  up  for  business  in  the  room  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  square,  now  occupied  by  the  Owl  Drug  Company.     Some  of  the 


132 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


Stockholders  of  the  Keightley  bank  were  interested  in  it.  In  the  fall  of 
1873,  occasioned  by  the  disastrous  panic  of  that  period,  it  was  unaiale  to 
meet  its  obligations  and  closed  its  doors. 

The  next  private  bank  in  Greencastle  was  the  Putnam  County  Bank, 
operated  bv  W.  E.  Stevenson.  D.  E.  Williamson  and  John  W.  Earp.  It 
was  organized  later  in  the  eighties,  but  was  never  incorporated.  It  was  in 
operation  for  about  two  years  only. 

The  only  other  banks  at  the  county  seat  are  the  First  and  Central  Na- 
tional. The  First  National  was  organized  under  the  United  States  national 
bank  law  February  24,  1863.  For  several  years  its  banking  office  was  in 
a  room  on  the  east  side  of  the  public  square,  but  about  1870  it  built  its  own 
building  which  it  still  occupies  at  the  corner  of  Indiana  and  Washington 
streets.  Its  first  officers  were  Thomas  C.  Hammond,  president,  and  Jerome 
Allen,  cashier,  and  they  remained  uninterruptedly  at  the  head  of  the  con- 
cern until  a  few  days  before  the  expiration  of  its  second  charter,  a  period 
of  fortv  years.  When  Mr.  Hammond  vacated  the  presidency  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Alfred  Hirt,  who  still  fills  the' office.  Andrew  Hirt  is  the  cashier. 
The  charter  of  the  Central  National  Bank  was  granted  April  7,  1883.  Dewitt 
C.  Bridges  was  the  president  and  D.  W.  Lovett,  cashier.  For  a  time  it  oc- 
cupied a  room  on  Indiana  street  in  the  block  south  of  the  court  house,  but 
soon  after  it  erected  its  own  building  on  the  southwest  corner  of  the  public 
square,  where  it  still  continues  in  business.  Robert  L.  O'Hair  is  the  presi- 
dent and  James  L.  Randel,  cashier.  The  Central  Trust  Company,  another 
financial  institution  in  Greencastle,  was  established  May  i,  1900.  Its  pres- 
ident is  Robert  L.  0"Hair  and  James  L.  Randel  serves  as  secretary. 

The  Bainbridge  Bank  was  established  December  i.  1904,  by  F.  P.  and 
C.  M.  ^lofifett,  who  came  to  Bainbridge  a  short  time  before  that  date  from 
Westfield.  Illinois,  where  they  had  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  banking 
business.  During  the  first  year  here  the  business  was  conducted  in  a  room 
at  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Main  streets,  but  shortly  afterwards  the 
bank  occupied  its  own  building,  a  substantial  cement  block  structure.  The 
bank  has  had  a  steady  and  substantial  growth  from  the  first.  James  M. 
Reeds,  formerly  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Coatesville.  became 
identified  with  the  Bainbridge  Bank  as  vice-president  on  January  i,  1909. 
F.  P.  Moffett  is  president  of  the  bank  and  his  son.  Charles  M.  ^Moffett,  is 
cashier. 

Other  banks  in  the  county  are  the  Coatesville  Bank,  established  in  1902, 
the  Bank  of  Cloverdale.  established  in  igoi,  the  Roachdale  Bank,  establish- 
ed in  1892.  and  the  Russell ville  Bank,  also  established  in  1892. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


JOURNALISM  IN  PUTNAM  COUNTY. 


The  date  the  first  newspaper  was  pubhshed  in  Putnam  countv  cannot 
be  accurately  determined.  As  late  as  the  summer  of  1837  nothing  of  the 
kind  had  been  attempted,  for  we  find  that  in  certain  divorce  suits  filed  at 
that  time  and  which  required  notice  by  publication,  orders  were  made  di- 
recting the  re(iuisite  notices  to  be  published  in  the  Indianapolis  Gazette  and 
also  the  Bloomington  Republiean.  Tradition  says  that  John  C.  Childs 
launched  the  first  newspaper  enterprise  in  the  county  in  1830  and  called  it 
The  Hoosier  and  that  in  1S34  he  sold  it  to  John  W.  Osborn.  The  latter 
changed  the  name  to  the  Ploiu  Boy.  As  no  files  of  the  paper  have  been 
presen-ed  the  present  generation  knows  but  little  about  it  or  what  it  con- 
tained. It  was  presumably  a  weekly  and  it  is  said  that  along  uith  it  Osborn 
sent  out  gratis  an  "eight-page  sheet  in  pamphlet  form  called  'The  Temper- 
ance Advocate.'  which  was  the  first  temperance  paper  published  in  the  West." 
I\Ir.  Osborn  was  influential  in  establishing  and  locating  Asbury  University 
at  Greencastle  and  was  one  of  the  institution's  first  trustees.  Late  in  1837 
he  disposed  of  his  paper  to  Wilkins  Tannahill.  who  came  from  Xashvillc. 
Tennessee,  and  who  published  it  for  about  two  years,  when  it  was  sold  to 
William  J.  Burns.  Burns  changed  the  name  to  The  J'isitor  and  its  publi- 
cation continued  for  several  years.  It  is  said  that  Judge  D.  R.  Eckels,  be- 
ing an  ardent  and  enthusiastic  Democrat,  aljout  this  time  purchased  the 
use  of  two  columns  of  the  J'isitor  in  order  that  he  might  fill  the  same  with 
Democratic  literature.  In  184J  Eckels  succeeded  in  establishing  a  Demo- 
cratic paper  which  he  called  the  Indiana  Patriot,  placing  the  management 
of  it  in  the  hands  of  Samuel  Farley.  This  management  continued  until 
Eckels  went  to  the  Mexican  war,  when  the  paper  was  turned  over  to  James 
Hanna.  Meanwhile  Dr.  ^\^illiam  Mahan,  beginning  in  1844,  had  established 
the  JVeeklv  Herald,  which  was  published  for  a  period  of  about  two  vears 
and  then  suspended.  In  June.  1846,  the  Putnam  County  Chronicle  was 
founded.  A  copy  issued  March  18.  1S47.  being  No.  40.  A*ol.  I.  shows  that 
it  was  "edited  bv  \V.  .V.  McKenzie  and  published  even.'  Thursdav  bv  W. 
H.  H.  Lewis  at  the  ofiice.  fup-stairs)  on  the  Northeast  corner  of  the  Public 
Square.   Creencastle.   la."     The  temis  of  subscription   were  two  dollars   if 


134 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


paid  in  advance;  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  if  paid  within  six  months,  and 
three  dollars  at  the  end  of  the  year.     The  paper  contained  four  pages,  eigh- 
teen by  twenty- four  inches  in  size,  six  columns  to  the  page.     Much  of  it  is 
devoted  to  the  news  of  the  Mexican  war,  and  at  least  two  columns  to  a  list 
of  counterfeits  of  the  various  kinds  of  bank  notes  then  in  circulation.     The 
local  advertisements  are  somewhat  limited,  but  considerable  space  is  given  to 
the  virtues  of  two  or  three  kinds  of  patent  medicines.     Dr.  L.  M.  Knight 
calls  attention  to  his  stock  of  drugs  and  R.  D.  ^McEwen  &  Company  to  their 
stock  of  dry  goods,  shoes  and  hardware,  including  a  consignment  of  "Hatha- 
way's  Patent  Hot  Air  Cooking  Stoves,  etc."  M.  F.  Barlow  was  the  hatter 
of  the  period  and  J.  B.  Dinwiddle  praises  the  virtue  and  superiority  of  the 
chairs  made  at  his   factory  on  "the  northeast  corner  of  the  public  square 
one  door  west  of  Mr.  Lee's  cabinet  shop."     A.  G.  Detrick  &  Company  and 
William  Kramer  compete  for  the  patronage  of  the  public  in  the  line  of  sad- 
dles and  harness  and  R.  D.  Anderson,  who  returns  his  "thanks  to  the  public 
for  its  generous  patronage"  in  buying  his  drugs,  also  calls  attention  to  his 
stock  of  iron  nails  and  castings  as  well  as  a  "superior  article  of  wines,  bran- 
dies, rum  and  whiskey,  for  the  sick  only."     William  Stewart  warns  the  pub- 
lic against  any  debts  contracted  by  his  wife,  Francis  Eleanor,  who  refuses 
any  longer  to  live  with  him;  and  Captain  Applegate  and  Henry  W.  Daniels, 
orderly  sergeant  of  the   Putnam  Yellow  Jackets,  publish  an   order  requir- 
ing the  company  to  "parade  on  Saturday  the  lOth  of  April  at  lO-A.  M.  at 
the  Armory  in  full  uniform."  Mathew  Simpson,  Daniel  Sigler,  Henry  Se- 
crest,  J.  F.  Farley.  W.  C.  Larrabee.  R.  L.  Hathaway,  Isaac  Ash.  John  M. 
Allison  and  W.  H.  Thornburgh  as  a  committee  unite  in  a  request  that  May 
1 8th  be  the  date  agreed  upon  for  a  "Railroad  Convention"  which  is  to  be 
held   in   Indianapolis.     The   railroad   question   was   evidently   becoming   the 
dominant  and  burning  issue  at  this  time,   for  elsewhere  in  the  paper  is  an 
article  copied  from  the  Wabash  Express  of  Terre  Haute  bearing  upon  that 
all-absorbing  topic.     It  is  recited  therein  that  "The  directors  of  the  Terre 
Haute  &  Richmond  Railroad  Company  had  their  first  meeting  on  the  4th 
of  March  at  Terre  Haute.     Chauncey  Rose,  Esq.,  was  unanimously  chosen 
president  and  Thomas  I.  Bourne  secretary.     The  board  have  determined  to 
open  books  for  the  subscription  of  stock  at  an  early  day  in  April  in  Terre 
Haute,  Greencastle.  Richmond  and  Indianapolis;  and  at  St.   Louis,  Cincin- 
nati and  other  cities  as  soon  as  the  convention  which  is  to  assemble  in  May 
next,  at  Indianapolis,  shall  determine  on  the  best  plan  of  operations.     This 
road  across  the  state  of  Indiana  is  of  course  intended  as  a  link  in  the  great 


PUTXAM    COUNTY,    IXDIAXA.  1 35 

chain  of  railway  from  the  Atlantic  by  way  of  Baltimore  to  the  Mississippi 
river  at  St.  Louis." 

As  illustrative  of  the  best  and  swiftest  facilities  for  travel  and  com- 
munication at  that  period,  the  following  table  of  the  arrival  and  departure 
of  the  mails  at  the  Greencastle  postoffice.  published  in  the  same  number  of 
the  Chronicle.  March   i8,   1847.  's  in  point: 

ARRIVAL    AND    DEPARTURE    OF    JIAILS. 

"From  Bloomington  to  Crawfordsville  by  the  way  of  Putnamville  and 
Greencastle.  arrive  here  e\ery  Monday  and  Thursday  at  2  o'clock  P.  M.  and 
returns  next  day  at  about  10  A.  AI. 

"From  Greencastle  to  Rock\ilIe  every  Friday  leaves  Greencastle  at  6 
o'clock  A.  M.  and  returns  at  3  P.  M. 

"From  Greencastle  to  Jamestown  by  the  way  of  Eainbridge  and  Xew 
Maysville  leaves  every  Thursday  at  2  o'clock  P.  M.  and  returns  everv  Sat- 
urday at  3  o'clock  P.  M. 

THE    EXTRA    M.ME. 

"From  Greencastle  to  Putnannille  every  Tuesday.  W'eilnesday.  Fritlay 
and  Saturdav,  leaves  Greencastle  at  12  o'clock  M.  and  returns  same  davs 
at  3  P.  M.   ■ 

"There  will  be  no  mail  sent  to  Putnannille  on  Mondays  and  Thursda\s. 

"Jas.  Talbott,  p.  M." 

The  editorial  comments  are  somewhat  limited  and  without  especial 
significance.  .\s  a  ^^  hig  organ  the  paper  expresses  a  preference  for  holding 
the  congressional  convention  in  Terre  Haute,  on  April  30th.  but  in  no  other 
way  does  it  refer  to  politics  or  undertake  to  indicate  Whig  principles.  The 
leading  editorial  is  a  complaint  that  the  county  printing  goes  to  the  Patriot 
(Eckels'  paper)  instead  of  the  Chronicle  which  has  the  larger  circulation 
and  is  therefore  entitled  to  it  under  the  law.  One  of  the  most  significant 
things  in  the  paper  relates  to  the  matter  of  supplying  Greencastle  with  water. 
As  it  indicates  a  spirit  of  commercial  enterprise  anfl  civic  zeal  much  in  ad- 
vance of  the  day  it  will  not  be  without  interest  to  reproduce  the  article  en- 
tire.    Under  the  caption  "The  Water  Project."  the  paper  says: 

"We  understand  that  Mr.  Freeman,  of  Utica.  Xew  York,  who  is  now 
here,  has  made  a  proposition  to  our  town  council  to  bring  the  water  from 


136  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

the  public  spring  on  to  the  public  s(iuare.  He  proposes  to  do  this  by  means 
of  a  pump  and  water  apparatus.  We  know  not  what  action  the  trustees 
of  the  town  will  take  upon  the  matter,  but  it  seems  to  us  that  it  should  at 
once  be  adopted.  Tiie  expense  would  be  small  compared  with  the  benefit 
which  our  citizens  would  derive  from  having  at  any  time  a  convenient  quan- 
tity of  water  almost  at  their  doors.  Upon  inquin,-  we  find  over  an  hundred 
families  either  directly  or  indirectly  dependent  upon  the  public  spring.  These 
are  under  the  necessity  of  carrying  water  through  mud.  in  some  instances, 
three  and  four  hundred  yards.  But  the  most  important  consideration  is  the 
convenient  use  of  water  properly  elevated  in  case  of  fire.  Should  a  fire  take 
place  it  might  lay  one-fourth  of  the  town  in  ashes  before  it  could  be  quench- 
ed. But  with  a  good  reservoir  of  water  on  the  square  and  a  small  engine 
we  could  almost  bid  defiance  to  the  flames.  The  difference  of  insurance 
that  would,  as  a  natural  consequence,  occur  would,  in  a  few  years,  pay  the 
expense  of  the  whole  project:  and  this  is  a  matter  to  be  considered  now. 
Delay  might  be  the  ruin  of  some  of  our  citizens  by  the  destruction  of  their 
property.  What  citizen  is  there  in  the  place  who  would  not  cheerfully  pay 
a  small  tax  to  promote  this  object?  A  little  reflection  must  convince  every 
one  that  it  is  not  only  expedient  but  that  it  is  a  measure  of  economy.  Let 
us  see.  Suppose  fifty  families  pay  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents  to  get  a 
half  supply  of  water,  as  they  do  now — it  amounts  to  nine  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-five dollars  in  a  single  year;  nearly  sufficient  to  pay  the  expense  of  a 
permanent  water  apparatus.  But  perhaps  it  may  be  denied  that  it  costs  the 
weekh-  sum  named.  We  ask  who  would  take  it  to  carry  water  from  the 
public  spring  some  eighteen  or  twenty  times  a  week. 

"In  any  view,  then,  we  can  take  of  the  project  we  think  our  town  coun- 
cil should  move  in  this  matter.  If  they  think  the  citizens  will  not  sustain 
them  let  them  call  a  meeting  and  get  an  expression  of  public  opinion  with 
regard  to  it."' 

In  1848  John  Turk  launched  on  the  sea  of  journalism  a  new  paper  called 
The  Argus.  Its  political  inclination  is  not  remembered,  but  with  varying 
success  it  rode  the  waves  till  sometime  in  1853.  after  which  it  ceased  to 
appear.  In  Februarv.  1849.  C.  \\'.  Brown,  destined  to  a  long  connection 
with  the  newspaper  industry  of  Putnam  county,  made  his  first  appearance 
as  the  owner  and  publisher  of  the  Putnam  County  Sentinel.  In  size,  ap- 
pearance and  general  makeup  it  was  not  unlike  the  Chronicle  described  in 
the  preceding  paragraph.  The  advertisements  were  of  the  kind  suited  to 
the  period.  Special  prominence  is  given  t(j  the  schools.  In  the  issue  of 
.\ugust  J3.  1849.  \'ol.  I.  Xo.  26.  ]\lrs.  S.  E.  Stevenson  announces  the  open- 


PLTNAM     COL'NTY,    INDIANA.  137 

ing  of  her  I'emale  School,  and  Levi  Reynolds,  principal  of  the  County  Sem- 
inary, calls  attention  to  the  excellent  character  of  the  work  of  that  institution 
under  his  management.  The  Greencastie  Female  Collegiate  Seminary,  pre- 
sided over  bv  }ilrs.  Larrabee.  is  also  given  due  prominence,  assurance  being 
given  that  -The  institution  has  a  liberal  charter  with  collegiate  powers  and 
will  confer  all  the  degrees  usually  conferred  in  female  seminaries."  There 
are  a  number  of  foreign  or  outside  advertisements,  among  them  that  of  the 
-Western  Military  Institute  of  Georgetown,  Kentucky."  containing  a  column 
of  solid  matter  calling  attention  to  the  remarkable  combination  of  the  "science 
of  West  Point  Academy,  with  the  classical  literature  of  our  best  colleges" 
and  enumerating  among  the  names  of  its  faculty.  "James  G.  Blaine,  A.  B., 
adjunct  professor  of  languages." 

The  next  newspaper  enterprise  in  the  county  was  the  Pittnain  Repub- 
lican Banner,  founded  by  Albert  Patrick  in  1852.  Mr.  Patrick  continued 
in  the  publication  till  February,  1856.  when,  desiring  to  cast  his  lot  with 
the  people  of  "bleeding  Kansas,"  he  disposed  of  his  ownership  of  the  Banner 
to  Christopher  Brown  and  left  for  the  West.  Mr.  Brown  remained  at  the 
helm  till  February,  1865,  when  he  sold  the  office  anil  good  will  to  John  R. 
Rankin.  In  the  following  September  Rankin  sold  an  interest  to  L.  L.  Burke 
and  announced  that  the  management  of  the  paper  thereafter  would  be  di- 
vided. ":\[r.  Burke  assuming  the  editorship"  and  Mr.  Rankin  the  "supervi- 
sion of  the  mechanical  department."  In  January,  1866,  Rankin  and  Burke, 
tiring  of  their  investment,  sold  the  paper  to  Brown,  who  again  assumed  the 
editorship.  In  December  the  latter  disposed  of  his  interest  to  "J.  'M.  Til- 
ford,  late  of  the  Indianapolis  Journal."  but  the  ownership  soon  vested  in 
Samuel  E.  Tilford.  probably  a  son  of  the  former.  In  the  following  January 
George  I.  Langsdale  bought  an  interest  and  the  paper  was  thereafter  con- 
ducted under  the  joint  management  and  ownership  of  Tilford  and  Langsdale, 
with  Mr.  Langsdale  in  the  editorial  chair.  In  July.  1867,  Tilford  disposed 
of  his  interest  to  Langsdale  and  the  latter  became  sole  proprietor.  [Mr. 
Langsdale  was  a  very  strong  man  intellectually  and  well  equipped  for  the 
editorship.  Under  his  management  the  paper  took  on  new  life,  its  circu- 
lation increased  and  it  grew  in  strength  and  popular  favor  until  in  1890. 
when  it  was  purchased  from  Langs<lale  by  Millard  J.  Beckett,  it  was  ad- 
mittedh-  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  influential  county  papers  in  the  state 
Mr.  Beckett  in  1891  bought  the  Times  (which  had  been  founded  by  A.  J. 
Xeff  in  1882  )  of  .\.  A.  Smith  and  merged  it  with  the  Banner.  In  October, 
1808.  it  was  bought  bv  its  present  owner,  Harry  M.  Smith,  who  still  pub- 
lishes the  Banner  weeklv  and  also  a  daily  edition  under  the  same  name.  From 


1^8  weik's  history  of 

its  birth  until  1856  the  Banner  supported  the  Whig  party  and  since  that 
time  it  has  been  unwavering  in  its  adherence  to  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  The  first  Democratic  organ  was  the  Press,  established  by 
Howard  Briggs  in  1858.  He  continued  its  publication  until  late  in  1887 
when  it  was  purchased  by  Frank  A.  Arnold,  who  was  then  publishing  the 
Star  and  merged  the  two  under  the  name  of  Star-Press.  The  Star  had  orig- 
inally been  founded  by  Mr.  Arnold  and  Heniy  J.  Feltus  in  May,  1874.  as 
an  independent  paper.  In  August,  1875,  Feltus  sold  to  Arnold,  leaving  the 
latter  in  sole  possession.  When  the  Star  and  Press  were  consolidated  in 
1885  the  paper  at  once  announced  its  unqualified  support  of  the  Democratic 
party  and  it  has  never  wavered  in  its  allegiance  to  that  party  since.  In  1903 
it  was  consolidated  with  the  Demoerat,  a  weekly  established  by  H.  B.  Mar- 
tin about  1893  and  subsequently  owned  by  F.  D.  Ader  and  R.  P.  Carpenter 
in  succession,  after  which  the  name-was  changed  to  The  Star  and  Democrat. 
It  is  still  issued  weekly  by  the  Star  and  Democrat  Publishing  Company.  The 
concern  also  publishes  a  daily  called  The  Herald. 


CHAPTER  X. 


INCIDENTS  OF  EARLY   HISTORY. 


We  are  told  by  those  who  have  studied  tlie  question  that  in  the  early 
settlement  of  the  county  the  people  almost  invariably  mo\'ed  westward  along 
climatic  parallels :  that  the  wave  of  immigration  which  began  in  New  York 
and  the  New  England  states  rolled  over  Pennsylvania,  Ohio  and  Indiana ; 
that  the  Maryland  and  Virginia  tide  swept  through  Kentucky  and  thence 
along  the  same  parallel  to  Missouri.  Such  doubtless  was  the  rule,  but  for 
some  strange  reason  it  did  not  apply  in  the  case  of  Putnam  county :  for  when 
the  New  York  or  Yankee  stream  neared  these  parts  it  was  sudtlenly  diverted 
and  in  its  stead  came  a  persistent  and  unvarying  influx  from  Kentucky.  The 
young  and  hardy  emigrant  from  the  blue-grass  country  was  by  some  mys- 
terious and  inscrutable  agency  drawn  across  the  natural  parallel  to  that  one 
spot  in  Indiana  where  blue  grass  had  long  before  aii[)eared  and  reached  its 
highest  perfection. 

Many  of  our  established  families  are  able  to  trace  their  lineage  through 
and  beyond  Kentucky :  and  it  is  no  discredit  to  them  that,  even  to  the  latest 
generation,  there  still  remain  traces  of  the  lofty  bearing,  knightly  hospitality 
and  hatred  of  their  Yankee  neighbors  which  was  so  marked  a  characteristic 
of  their  aristocratic  progenitors,  the  Cavaliers  of   Maryland   anfl   \'irginia. 

THE    STORY   OF   .\N    OLD   SETTLER. 

To  illustrate  more  vividly  the  character  and  purposes  of  those  who  laid 
the  foundations  of  our  agricultural  prosperity  and  success. —  for  we  are  above 
all  things  an  agricultural  county, — extracts  are  here  inserted  from  the  his- 
tory of  the  li\es  of  two  of  our  earliest  and  most  prominent  settlers;  and 
as  they  are  merely  types  of  many  others,  the  names  are  omitted.  The  first 
one  is  the  substance  of  a  paper  read  before  the  Putnam  County  Historical 
Society  as    follows  : 

"M the  father  of the  subject  of  this 

sketch,  was  a  native  of where  he  lived  until  he  had  grown 

to  the  full  stature  of  manhood.  Then,  being  a  man  of  positive  opinions 
and  a   in  faith,  he  naturalh'  turned  his  e\'es  toward  the 


I40  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

American  colonies  where  he  could  exercise  his  religious  and  political  views 
as  best  suited  him.  He  landed  in  this  country  in  1775,  about  one  year  before 
the  Declaration  of  Independence.  He  settled  in  Virginia,  where  he  lived 
when  England  declared  war  against  the  colonies.  He  at  once  laid  down 
the  plow  for  the  sword  and  enlisted  in  the  army.  He  fought  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  Washington  for  a  short  time;  then  was  placed  under  Gen- 
eral Greene  and  was  with  him  in  all  his  battles  in  the  Carolinas  and  in  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  for  seven  years,  remaining  faith- 
ful to  the  cause  until  peace  had  been  declared  and  the  United  States  had 
become  free  and  independent.  After  his  discharge  from  the  army  he  lived 
for  a  short  time  in  the  state  of  Virginia  and  from  there  went  to  Jessamine 

county,  Kentucky,  where  he  soon  after  was  married  to  Miss Four 

children  were  born  to  them,  three  daughters  and  one  son.  The  death  of  his 
first  wife  occurred    a  short  time  after  the  birth  of  the  last  child.     His  second 

marriage  was  to   about  1794,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children, 

five  sons  and  fi\-e  daughters.  His  descendants  now  number  more  than  one 
thousand  people. 

"The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  child  by  the  second  marriage 
and  was  born  July  5,  1804.  In  the  year  1812,  when  he  was  eight  years  old. 
his  father  died.  His  mother  survived  her  husband  many  years,  her  death 
occurring  October  i,  1839,  at  the  home  of  her  son  in  Putnam  county,  six  miles 

from  Greencastle.     At  the  age  of  fifteen  the  boy  went  to  live  with 

near  Mt.  Sterling.  Kentucky,  and  worked  for  his  board  and  clothing  for 
five  years.  During  this  time  he  went  to  school  about  three  months  of  each 
winter  for  four  winters,  obtaining  thus  all  the  school  education  he  ever  re- 
cei\-ed.  The  school  house  was  built  of  hewed  logs  with  a  large  fire-place  in 
one  end.  having  split  saplings  with  wooden  legs  for  benches  and  greased 
paper   for  window  panes. 

■'-\t  the  age  of  twenty  years,  on  March  5,  1825.  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
w  as  married  to  Miss  In  a  few  days  thereafter,  hav- 
ing loaded  on  a  pack  saddle  all  their  household  goods,  consisting  of  two  beds, 
three  plates,  two  teacups,  two  knives,  two  forks,  a  gourd,  a  stewkettle  and 
a  skillet,  the  wife  riding  another  horse  and  canying  with  her  all  their  wear- 
ing apparel  and  leading  the  pack-horse,  and  the  husband  following  on  foot. 
driving  a  cow  and  a  colt  which  his  father-in-law  had  given  him.  the  young 
couple  started  for  their  new  home  in  the  wilds  of  Estill  county,  Kentucky, 
on  the  Kentucky  river  seventy-five  miles  away.  They  took  two  days  for  the 
journev.  Arrived  at  his  destination,  the  young  farmer  traded  one  horse 
for  a  claim  of  al^out  twentv-five  acres.     This  trade  left  him  one  mare,  a  colt. 


PUTNAM     COUNTY.    INDIANA.  I4I 

one  cow,  a  young  wife  and  not  a  dollar  in  his  pocket.  He  at  once  determined 
to  better  his  condition  and  own  a  large  fami.  The  first  year  he  cleared  five 
acres  of  ground.  He  raised  five  crops  on  this  place.  All  the  iron  he  had 
for  tending  these  crops  was  the  point  of  his  shovel-plow  and  the  bit  in  his 
horse's  mouth.  After  he  had  raised  one  crop  his  brother-in-law  sold  him 
eleven  sows  and  pigs  on  credit  for  thirty  dollars.  He  drove  them  home 
eighteen  miles  and  turned  them  out  on  mast  in  the  mountains,  feeding  them 
occasionally  to  keep  them  from  running  wild.  That  thirty  dollars  of  debt 
worried  him  day  and  night  and  he  was  determined  to  pay  it.  In  order  to 
do  this  he  hunted  coons  on  winter  nights  for  their  hides,  which  he  sold  for 
ten  dollars.  His  wife  spun  yarn,  wove  cloth  and  made  him  an  overcoat, 
which  he  concluded  to  do  without  in  order  that  he  might  sell  it  for  twenty 
dollars  to  pay  his  debt.  He  now  had  the  thirty  dollars  he  owed  his  brother- 
in-law  and  walked  eighteen  miles  to  pay  it.  He  felt  chagrined  when  on 
reaching  the   latter's  house  he   refused  to  take   the  money,   saying:   'Now, 

I  don't  need  that  money  and  you  do.     You  take  it  and 

buy  some  calves  to  take  home  with  you."  He  did  so,  buying  ten  head,  driving 
them  home  and  turning  them  into  the  canebrakes. 

CATCHING   .A    PENITENT    THIEF. 

"The  third  year  our  subject  lived  in  the  mountains  he  met  with  a  loss 
which  led  him  into  an  interesting  and  almost  fatal  adventure.  .-\  young 
man  came  to  him  for  work  and  he  hired  the  applicant  for  the  season.  The 
second  day  after  doing  so.  while  he  was  away  in  the  mountains  looking  after 
his  hogs,  the  hired  man  stole  the  only  suit  of  clothes  he  had.  ten  coon  skins, 
se\'en  dollars  in  monev  and  his  canoe  and  put  off  down  the  river.  On  coming 
home  at  night  he  learned  from  his  wife  what  had  happened  and  immediateh- 
determined  to  catch  the  thief.  He  borrowed  a  canoe  of  his  nearest  neighbor 
and  started  down  the  river  for  that  purpose.  Se\'eral  miles  below,  a  large 
rock  lay  in  the  middle  of  the  river  with  a  swift  current  flowing  on  each  side 
of  it.  On  this  rock  his  canoe  lodged  in  such  a  manner  that  he  could  not  get 
it  oft'.  He  got  out  of  his  boat  and  managed  to  get  a  solid  footing,  but  having 
carefully  \iewed  the  situation  he  gave  up  all  hope  of  ever  getting  away 
alive  and  commenced  to  pray.  After  pra\-ing  for  some  time,  he  concluded 
forced  prayer  could  not  avail  much.  So  he  quit  praying  and.  plunging  into 
the  icv  water,  swam  ashore.  He  went  to  the  nearest  house  and  dried  his 
clothing.  At  daylight  he  set  out.  this  time  on  foot  down  the  river  bank  in 
search  of  his  man.     Four  or  five  miles  below  he   found  his  canoe  tied  to 


^"\ 


142 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


the  bank  bottom  up  and  knew  from  that  circumstance  and  from  the  swift 
current  in  the  river  that  the  thief  had  also  been  capsized  and  lost  all  the 
stolen  goods.  He  went  to  the  nearest  house  and  found  the  man  drying  his 
clothes.  He  took  the  refugee  in  charge  and  started  back  on  foot.  Thinking 
the  matter  over,  he  concluded  to  give  his  captive  the  choice  of  a  whipping 
or  a  trip  to  the  penitentiary.  The  man  chose  the  whipping.  He  accordingly 
tied  him  to  a  tree,  cut  a  good  switch  and  began  on  him.  He  whipped  a  while, 
then  talked,  telling  the  culprit  that  the  whipping  was  for  his  good.  He  re- 
peated the  castigation  till  they  were  both  worn  out.  Then  he  turned  the 
malefactor  loose  and  gave  him  some  good  advice.  As  the  hat  of  the  un- 
fortunate evil-doer  had  been  lost  in  the  river,  he  gave  him  his  own  and  went 
home  bareheaded.  Twenty  years  later  he  met  this  man  in  an  adjoining  state, 
with  an  interesting  family  around  him,  well-to-do  and  respected  by  all  his 
neighbors.  The  whipping  was  not  referred  to  by  either  party;  but  it  is  not 
at  all  improbable  that  the  timely  whipping  with  its  accompanying  advice 
made  a  man  of  the  unlucky  thief. 

G.\NDER-PULLING. 

"After  raising  five  crops concluded  that  the  moun- 
tains had  no  further  attraction  for  him  and  in  the  fall  of  1829  he  rounded 
up  his  hogs,  which  had  increased  to  one  hundred  seven  head,  and  his  calves, 
which  had  grown  to  be  good  sized  steers,  and  sold  the  entire  lot,  together 
with  twentv  acres  of  standing  corn  in  the  field,   for  five  hundred  dollars. 

His  father-in-law   ,  had  decided  to  emigrate  to  Indiana 

and  he  had  selected  Illinois  for  his  future  home.  He  hired  a  man  to  move 
him  and  he  himself  walked  behind  the  wagon,  driving  three  cows.  He  ar- 
rived in  Illinois  about  the  loth  of  October,  1829.  He  had  sent  his  wife  and 
two  children  with  her  father  to  Indiana.  He  entered  one  hundred  fifty-six 
acres  of  land  six  miles  south  of  Paris,  sowed  four  acres  of  wheat  and  com- 
menced to  build  him  a  cabin.  When  Sunday  came  he  found  there  was  not 
a  church  or  school  house  nearer  than  six  miles.  He  began  to  look  about  and 
see  what  class  of  people  he  was  to  make  home  and  rear  his  children  with 
and  found  them  congregated  on  Sunday  at  shooting  matches,  horse  races  and 
gander-pullings.  They  would  take  an  old  gander,  tie  his  feet  to  the  limb  of 
a  tree,  soap  his  head  and  neck,  then  go  back  fifty  yards  and  ride  as  fast 
as  their  horses  could  run  under  the  gander  and  catch  him  by  the  head :  who- 
ever pulled  the  head  off  received  the  gander  as  a  prize.  ]Men  were  pulled 
off  of  their  horses  oftener  than  heads  were  pulled  off  of  the  ganders.     As 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I43 

the  young  fanner  from  Kentucky  had  been  taught  to  respect  the  Sabbath 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  he  could  not  think  of  rearing 
his  children  in  such  a  community.  So  he  concluded  to  find  a  better  neigh- 
borhood. 

"About  the  last  of  October  he  came  over  to  Indiana  after  his  wife  and 
children.     The  first  Sunday   following  his  arrival  he  attended  church  in  a 

log  school  house,  where  he  met  such  men  as 

and    After  consulting  his  wife  and  comparing 

these  men  and  the  land  about  with  the  people  and  land  in  Illinois,  where  he 
had  taken  a  claim,  he  concluded  to  sell  out  and  locate  in  Indiana.       ^Ir. 

his  brother-in-law,  proposed  to  sell  him  eighty  acres 

of  his  land  for  two  hundred  dollars  and  then  give  him  an  additional  eighty- 
acre  tract  adjoining  it.     He  accepted  the  proposition.     These  one  hundred 

and  sixty  acres  form  a  part  of  his  present  home  farm,    miles  from 

Greencastle.  Immediately  after  the  purchase  he  left  for  Illinois  and  moved 
all  his  household  goods  on  a  pack  saddle,  arriving  at  his  new  Indiana  farm 
the  latter  part  of  October,  1829. 

CLEARING   L.\ND. 

'"The  first  thing  was  to  build  him  a  log  house  in  about  the  thickest  woods 
he  had  ever  seen.  By  spring  he  was  ready  to  move  into  the  cabin.  He  at 
once  went  to  work,  deadening  timber,  rolling  logs  and  burning  brush  bv 
night.  The  first  spring  he  succeeded  in  clearing  three  acres,  among  the 
stumps  of  which,  planting  in  June,  he  raised  a  good  crop  of  corn.  The 
second  year  he  cleared  ten  acres.  After  cutting  all  the  timber  down  and 
trimming  it  ready  for  rolling,  he  called  in  his  neighbors  and  thirtv  of  them 
came  to  help  him.  The  next  day  he  and  his  thirty  assistants  went  to  an- 
other neighbor  and  helped  him.  and  so  on  from  clearing  to  clearing.  And 
so  from  year  to  year  the  sturdy  early  settlers  toiled  until  they  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  clearing  and  fencing  their  farms says  that  ofT 

of  the  fann  on  which  he  settled  when  he  came  to  Putnam  county  he  has  sold 
twelve  thousand  dollars  worth  of  walnut  and  poplar  timber  and  he  is  satis- 
fied that  he  destroyed  and  made  into  rails  an  amount  that  if  it  were  stand- 
ing todav  would  be  valued  at  not  less  than  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

'"The  early  settlers  were  all  poor  and  dependent  upon  selling  what  lit- 
tle thev  had  to  spare  to  new-comers  into  the  county.     .\t  one  time  at  a  Fourth 

of  lulv  celebration  they  were  very  much  discouraged  by  Judge 

declaring  that   the  country  would   soon   be   filled    up   with   inhabitants   and 


144 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


they  would  have  no  one  to  whom  they  could  sell  their  surplus;  but  as  the 
country  became  settled  their  markets  opened  and  the  Judge's  problem  was 
solved. 

"The  first  church   in   the   neighborhood  was  built  of  logs  on   the  site 

now  occupied  by    The  prominent  contributors  to   the 

erection  of  this  building  were  the  subject  of  this  sketch, , 

and Not  having  any 

money  to  donate,  the  first  mentioned  on  the  above  list  subscribed  a  cow, 
which  was  sold  for  eight  dollars,  the  money  thus  obtained  being  used  in 
the  construction  of  the  church.  The  inhabitants  attended  church  by  families 
in  wagons  drawn  by  oxen  some  of  the  men  walking  and  leading  the  oxen. 

"In  due  course  of  time   began  to  accumulate  some 

money  and  ere  long  had  bought  forty  acres  of  land  adjoining  his  home 
farm  for  one  hundred  dollars.  His  next  purchase  was  eighty  acres  for 
five  hundred  dollars.  And  as  he  could  spare  the  money  he  kept  adding  to 
his  farm  until  he  had  increased  it  to  five  hundred  and  fifty  acres;  this  was  in 
the  year  1847.  He  always  made  it  a  rule  never  to  buy  land  until  he  could 
make  a  partial  payment  and  see  his  way  to  pay  the  balance,  giving  his  note  for 
deferred  payments;  and  he  never  failed  to  meet  the  notes  when  due.  He 
was  never  asked  to  give  an  endorser  or  make  a  mortgage. 

"On  August   II,   1849,  the  angel  of  death  entered  the  home  of  Mr. 

taking  his  faithful  companion  who  had  patiently  borne 

wnth  him  an  equal  share  of  the  hardships  of  a  new  country.  She  left  him  a 
large  family  of  children,  consisting  of  seven  boys  and  three  girls,  all  of 
whom  are  living  except  two.     Three  years  later,  on   September    15.    1S52. 

he  was  married  to To  this  union  was  born  one  daughter 

and   one   son. 

••yi\- has  assisted  his  eight  sons  in  buying  more  than 

three  thousand  acres  of  land,  though  all  the  money  for  this  purpose  or  for 
any  other  purpose  advanced  to  them  has.  with  the  exception  of  eight  hun- 
dred dollars  each,  been  returned  to  him.  He  preferred  to  let  them  pay  for 
their  own  homes  that  they  might  better  appreciate  them.  He  attributes 
his  financial  success  largely  to  keeping  out  of  debt  and  avoiding  speculation 
and  has  tried  to  impress  the  same  rule  of  life  upon  his  sons." 

STORY    OF    .\    M.\RYI.AXD    TR.KVELER. 

The  account  of  the  other  early  settler  referred  to  in  the  opening  para- 
graph of  this  chapter  is  from  the  pen  of  his  son.  "My  father.''  relates  the 
latter,  "left  Fre<lerick  county.  INfaryland.  where  he  was  born,  in  1825.  main- 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I45 

ly  because  of  slavery,  to  which  he  was  bitterly  opposed.  He  was  mounted 
on  a  large  and  fine  horse,  of  which  he  was  a  judge  and  great  admirer,  and 
seated  on  a  pair  of  old-fashioned  leather  saddle-bags,  in  which  he  carried 
all  his  belongings.  Being  deeply  interested  in  agriculture,  he  had  decided 
to  emigrate  to  a  country  where  he  could  get  the  four  most  important  ele- 
ments of  a  hrst-class  fami,  namely,  good  soil,  good  water,  lime-stone  rock 
and  good  timber.  He  journeyed  through  Kentucky,  halting  in  Clark,  Fa- 
ette  and  Bourbon  counties,  where  he  found  the  four  requisites,  but  the  dark 
shadow  of  slaver}-  was  as  objectionable  as  in  the  Maryland  location  he  had 
just  left.  He  kept  westward  and  ere  long  reached  Indianapolis  where  the 
means  he  had  would  have  purchased  a  wide  extent  of  land,  but  he  thought 
it  was  too  wet,  more  or  less  unhealthy,  and  not  up  to  his  standard.  Con- 
tinuing his  journey,  he  liked  the  appearance  of  the  coitntry  about  Danville. 
but  did  not  see  exactly  what  he  wanted.  Xight  overtook  him  two  miles  east 
of  Greencastle.  He  stopped  for  the  night  with  old  John  McXary,  at  whose 
house  a  large  gathering  of  neighbors  had  congregated  to  celebrate  the  in  fare 
of  one  of  McNar>'"s  children  who  had  just  been  married.  My  father  was 
much  pleased  with  the  manner  of  the  people,  especially  their  considerate 
attentions  to  a  stranger.  Xext  morning  by  sunrise  he  was  on  his  horse, 
headed  for  Greencastle,  expecting  to  arrive  there  in  time  for  breakfast.  He 
stopped  at  a  tavern  called  'Social  Hall,'  kept  by  one  King.  AX'hile  eating  his 
first  meal  in  the  embyro  city,  he  learned  from  King  that  the  upper  story 
of  his  house  was  unfinished  on  account  of  a  lack  of  monev  and  that  he  want- 
ed to  sell.  Before  leaving  the  table  a  bargain  was  struck  and  before  the  next 
meal  my  father  was  himself  the  proprietor  of  "Social  Hall"  and  held  an  op- 
tion on  two  vacant  lots  nearby.  His  travels  had  ended  antl  he  soon  began 
to  acquire  farnnng  land  near  the  town.  At  that  time  there  was  much  valu- 
able land  still  subject  to  entr>-  at  the  United  States  land  office.  :\Iv  father's 
selections  there  and  his  purchase  of  small  tracts  located  by  others  composed 
the  main  part  of  his  landed  possessions.  He  had  evidently  found  in  the 
soil  and  climate  of  Putnam  county  the  requisite  he  had  been  seeking,  and 
in  time  became  the  largest  land  owner  in  the  county." 

THE   ORIGIN    OF    BLUE    GR.\S.S. 

Tliere  are  good  grounds  for  the  belief  that  the  blue  grass  of  Putnam 
county  and  the  adjacent  area  is  an  original  Indiana  product  and  not.  as  is 
generalh-  supposed,  an  importation   from  Kentuck\-.     To  at  least  two  per- 
(10) 


j^Q  weik's  history  of 

sons  from  the  Hoosier  state — Hon.  Henry  S.  Lane,  of  Crawfordsville.  and 
Col.  Thomas  Dowhng,  of  Terre  Haute — Henn.-  Clay  declared  that  the  seed  of 
the  original  blue  grass  which  has  made  Kentucky  famous  came  from  Indiana. 
When  Colonel  Dowling  visited  Mr.  Clay  and  asked  for  a  handful  of  the 
seed  of  the  real  Kentucky  blue  grass  to  take  home  with  him.  the  proprietor 
of  "Ashland"  smiled  and  then  reminded  his  visitor  that  blue  grass  was  in- 
digenous to  the  soil  of  central  Indiana,  which  was  a  limestone  base  with 
•a.  super-stratum  of  clav,  and  that  the  Kentucky  soldiers  in  the  early  Indian 
wars,  returning  from  Ft.  Harrison  on  the  Wabash,  found  it  growing  in  pro- 
fusion there  and  brought  the  seed  back  home  with  them. 

But  whether  that  be  true  or  not,  it  is  certain  that  Putnam  county  is 
entitled  to  some  distinction  as  the  leading  blue  grass  county  of  the  state.  Our 
earlv  settlers  realized  the  advantages  of  that  remarkable  plant,  its  wonderful 
nutritious  value  and  the  profitable  returns  it  yielded  when  properly  fed  to 
li\-estock.  The  result  was  that  our  people  were  among  the  earliest  and  at 
one  time  the  greatest  producers  of  high-grade  cattle  in  the  state.  Space 
here  will  not  allow  the  list  of  all  their  names,  but  prominent  among  them 
Avere  such  men  as  Dr.  A.  C.  Stevenson,  Andrew  M.  Lockridge,  Joseph  Al- 
len. Wilson  Yates,  James  McMurray.  B.  F.  Corwin,  Daniel  Thornton,  Charles 
Brido-es,  Col.  A,  S.  Farrow,  Alexander  Bryan,  Ambrose  D.  Hamrick,  Frank 
P.  Nelson,  Jesse  Hvmer,  William  B.  Peck.  Thomas  C.  Hammond  and  Simp- 
son F.  Lockridge.  The  earliest  and  the  most  conspicuous  in  his  efforts 
to  utilize  the  wealth  of  blue  grass  and  improve  the  breed  of  cattle  was  Dr. 
Alexander  C.  Stevenson.  He  was  a  real  student  of  agriculture,  having  for 
vears  been  president  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society,  as  well  as  a  genius 
in  the  development  of  our  livestock.  Even  while  he  was  still  living  in  Green- 
castle  and  practicing  medicine,  he  was  deeply  interested  in  livestock.  "He 
lived."  relates  one  of  the  early  residents  of  Greencastle,  "in  a  two-story  log 
house  just  outside  the  corporation  line,  northwest  of  town  and  on  a  lot  north 
of  James  M.  Groom's  residence.  He  had  a  large  barn  and  when  I  was  a 
bov  I  used  to  go  there  and  admire  the  fine  specimens  of  the  short-horn 
breed  of  cattle,  descendants  of  stock  purchased  of  the  Owens  family,  and 
which  traced  back  to  the  famous  Kentucky  importation  of  1817.  The  Doc- 
tor was  a  remarkable  man  for  his  time  and  a  diligent  student  of  the  stock 
c|uestion.  I  have  witnessed  him  in  del^ate  when  called  to  the  floor  by  remarks 
of  such  men  as  Lewis  F.  Allen,  of  Buffalo,  New  York.  George  M.  Bed- 
ford and  William  Warfield  of  Kentucky,  and  he  invariably  acquitted  him- 
self  with   credit.'' 


PL'TXAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I47 

EARLY    IMPORTATION    OF    CATTLE. 

Doctor  Stevenson  ven-  early  realized  that  our  own  livestock  was  not  up 
to  the  requisite  standard  and  that  great  improvement  could  be  made  bv 
the  introduction  of  some  of  the  recognized  pure  breeds  from  abroad.  He 
argued  that  with  the  abundance  of  luxuriant  blue  grass  then  in  the  country, 
great  profits  could  be  realized  if  only  the  right  strain  of  stock  was  secured: 
and  he  proposed  to  his  neighbors  and  friends  that  they  combine  and  purchase 
the  requisite  stock  in  Europe  and  ship  to  this  country.  But,  however  fav- 
orably his  neighbors  were  impressed  with  the  idea,  none — with  a  single  ex- 
ception— were  willing  to  join  him  and  he  therefore  embarked  in  the  enter- 
prise himself.  July  2,  1853.  he  sailed  from  Philadelphia  for  England,  where 
he  spent  some  time  traveling  over  the  country,  examining  the  various  herds 
and  studying  the  livestock  question  from  every  point  of  view.  With  the 
primitive  and  inconvenient  arrangements  on  shipboard  and  elsewhere  for 
shipping  cattle  across  the  Atlantic  in  that  day,  it  was  not  only  an  expensive 
but  more  or  less  hazardous  undertaking.  The  Indiana  State  Journal  and  the 
Indiana  Farmer  published  numerous  letters  from  the  Doctor  in  which  he 
described  his  journey  and  the  many  strange  and  oftentimes  interesting  ex- 
periences that  befell  him.  He  bought  stock  here  and  there,  mostlv  the 
short-horns  and  Durham  cattle,  and  collected  them  at  the  town  of  [>arling- 
trjn..  From  the  latter  place  he  drove  them  across  the  country  to  Liverpool, 
where  he  secured  passage  for  himself  and  proper  shipping  facilities  for  his 
stock  on  one  of  the  west-bound  vessels  sailing  from  that  port.  The  passage 
across  the  Atlantic  in  the  fall  was  somewhat  rough,  but  in  due  time  he 
reached  the  United  States  without  the  loss  of  a  single  animal. 

The  arri\'al  of  the  herd  in  Greencastle  is  chronicled  in  the  Putnam 
Banner.  There  were  two  bulls:  one  named  "Prince  of  Wales."  was  turned 
over  to  Joseph  .\llen,  who  was  interested  in  the  enterprise :  the  other.  "Fan- 
cy Boy."  was  retained  by  Doctor  Stevenson.  There  were  also  four  heifers 
The  Banner  \ery  significantly  observes  that  "The  cattle  imported  bv  Doctor 
Stex'enson  to  this  countrv-  are  not  for  sale.  They  were  purchased  near  Darl- 
ington. England,  of  three  different  breeders,  are  all  beautiful  roans,  except 
one  which  is  red,  and  are  but  distantly  related,  so  that  the  produce  may  be 
lired  together  for  some  time  to  come."  Doctor  Stevenson  also  brought  home 
with  him  from  England  two  pigs  of  the  Leicester  breed,  purchased  from 
Robert  Thornton  of  Stapleton.  The  boar  he  named  "Prince  Albert."  In 
the  columns  of  the  Indiana  Farmer  the  Doctor,  recommending  them  t<j 
his  farmer  friends,  is  ver}-  enthusiastic  in  their  praise.     Describing  them,  he 


148  weik's  history  of 

says :  "In  color  they  are  white  with  an  occasional  small  discoloration  in  the 
skin  but  none  in  the  hair,  it  being  uniformly  white.  The  hair  is  fine,  short 
and  very  thin  o\er  the  body.  The  legs  are  short  and  straight  and  the  bone 
small.  The  head  is  small  and  tapering  to  the  nose,  face  straight,  ears  small 
and  narrow ;  in  many  cases  they  are  erect — in  some  they  pitch  a  little  for- 
ward. The  body  is  long  and  finely  barreled,  being  in  the  boar  almost  a 
cylinder.  They  have  great  depth  through  the  shoulders  and  hips.  The  eye 
is  lively  and  quiet.  In  disposition  they  are  exceedingly  quiet.  They  have 
a  great  propensity  to  take  on  fat  at  any  age  and  their  usual  weight  at  twelve 
months  old  is  from  three  hundred  to  three  hundred  and  fifty  pounds." 

EARLY    AGRICULTUR.\L    FAIRS. 

The  spirit  of  emulation  and  enterprise  in  agricultural  products  and  live- 
stock very  early  manifested  itself  among  the  settlers  in  Putnam  county  and 
as  it  developed  it  tended  to  draw  to  the  county  from  other  localities  and 
even  from  abroad,  as  already  related,  some  of  the  best  and  finest  stock  to 
be  had  in  the  country. 

"The  first  fair  for  the  exhibition  of  stock,"  related  a  former  historian 
of  the  county,  "was  held  September  7,  1837,  on  the  ground  north  of  the 
public  square  in  Greencastle  where  the  Presbyterian  church  formerly  stood. 
It  was  but  little  more  than  a  show  of  livestock,  held  on  the  open  ground  and 
without  fees.  A  committee  passed  judgment  on  the  merits  of  the  animals 
exhibited,  but  no  premiums  were  paid.  The  horse  owned  by  Col.  A.  S. 
Farrow  was  adjudged  the  best  in  that  department,  but  the  other  winners 
on  that  day  cannot  be  remembered.  In  1838  or  1839  another  fair  was  held 
on  an  open  lot  near  the  present  site  of  the  east  college  building  of  DePauw 
University.  At  this  exhibition  a  bull  called  'Tecumseh.'  owned  by  Anderson 
B.  Matthews,  took  the  premium  in  that  class." 

PUTN.\M   COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

The  Putnam  County  Agricultural  Society  was  organized  about  1850. 
There  are  no  records  e.xtant  from  which  to  obtain  the  first  list  of  officers, 
but  from  a  list  of  premiums  awarded  at  the  third  annual  fair  held  in  Green- 
castle, October  5-7,  1853,  we  find  the  names  of  the  following  prominent 
as  committees  on  awards,  etc. :  A.  S.  Farrow,  Elijah  Tennant,  William  S. 
Farrow,  G.  Bondurant.  .\.  ]\IcCoy,  William  S.  Ray,  Benjamin  Purcel.  Wil- 
liam L.  Hart,  Robert  Allen.  E.  Van  Skoike.  Henry  Smith.  R.  S.   Farrow, 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I49 

James  Evans.  A.  D.  Hamrick,  A.  Bowen,  A.  C.  Stevenson,  \V.  H.  Thorn- 
burgh,  A.  J.  Darnall,  H.  T.  Wakefield,  John  Hammond,  A.  D.  Bilhngsley, 
G.  W.  VVolverton,  WiUiam  Brown.  James  Crawford,  John  S.  Jennings,  Tur- 
pin  Darnall,  John  S.  Allen,  Elijah  McCarty.  John  W.  Nance,  Andrew  M. 
Lockridge,  O.  P.  Badger,  J.  N.  Rynerson,  W.  \V.  Yates,  William  ]\Iat- 
kins,  Edward  Crow.  John  Cowgill,  Henry  Secrest  and  R.  S.  Ragan.  In 
February.  1854,  the  society  accepted  an  offer  of  five  acres  of  land  by  B. 
F.  Corwin  and  Daniel  T.  Thornton  at  Bainbridge  and  decided  to  hold  the 
fair  in  that  town  in  October.  January.  1855.  the  following  officers  of  the 
society  were  chosen,  as  published  in  the  Greencastle  Banner:  President,  John 
A.  IMatson ;  vice-president,  O.  P.  Badger;  treasurer,  John  S.  Jennings;  cor- 
responding secretary,  Albert  G.  Patrick;  recording  secretary,  Thomas  E. 
Talbott;  directors.  James  Allen,  James  McMurray,  Nicholas  West,  C.  Fosher, 
J.  Franklin  Darnall,  W.  W.  Yates,  C.  Gibson.  Richard  M.  Hazlett.  Thomas 
Leach,  A.  D.  Hamrick,  Samuel  E.  Parks,  A.  J.  McCoy,  I.  N.  Rynearson,  A. 
C.  Stevenson,  Joseph  Allen,  Anderson  Johnson.  Higgins  Lane,  T.  C.  Ham- 
mond. E.  Y.  Tennant.  and  James  AI.  Robertson.  In  the  last  \i-eek  in  Septem- 
ber, 1855.  '^he  fair  was  again  held  in  Greencastle  on  a  tract  of  land  south- 
west of  town  owned  by  John  A.  Matson  and  which  was  leased  for  ten 
years.  Soon  after  this.  Prof.  Miles  J.  Fletcher,  of  Asbury  University,  was 
chosen  president  of  the  Agricultural  Society  and  under  his  progressive  man- 
agement the  fair  enterprise  took  on  new  life.  It  was  still  held  on  the  Matson 
place  and  so  continued  till  1862,  when,  owing  to  the  agitation  resulting  from 
the  war  and  the  generally  unsettled  condition  of  the  country,  it  was  deemed 
wise  to  suspend  it  for  a  time.  A  fair  was  meanwhile  held  at  Russellville, 
called  the  L'nion  Fair  because  it  was  the  joint  work  of  people  who  lived  in 
the  three  counties  nearby,  but,  for  the  reason  assigned,  everything  in  the 
nature  of  an  agricultural  fair  was  held  in  abeyance  at  the  county-seat.  In 
1868  the  Agricultural  Society  was  re-organized  and  a  new  set  of  officers 
chosen.  Fairs  were  again  held  each  fall,  part  of  the  time  on  the  Matson 
place  and  later  on  the  Lockridge  land  east  of  Greencastle,  until  along  in 
the  eighties  when  public  interest  in  the  matter  began  to  wane  and  the  in- 
difference became  so  pronounced  that  it  was  finally  decided  to  discontinue 
further  efforts  to  keep  the  enterprise  alive. 

VALUES    OF    LANDS    AND    CROPS. 

But  even  though  the  time-honored  county  fair  may  ha\e  gone  out  of 
fashion,  interest  in  agriculture  and  the  development  of  livestock  has  not. 
Our  fanners  are  more  strenuously  than  e\'er  striving  to  increase  the  products 


I-O  WEIK  S    HISTORY   OF 

of  the  soil.  From  data  and  figures  collected  by  the  United  States  during  the 
census  of  1900  we  learn  that  there  are  2,883  farms  in  Putnam  county  of  an 
average  size  of  1044  acres;  twelve  farms  are  under  three  acres;  six  over 
1,000  acres;  54.7  per  cent  of  farm  lands  is  cultivated  by  the  owners;  19.7 
by  share  tenants ;  7.9  by  cash  tenants  and  the  remainder  by  owners  and  ten- 
ants together. 

The  total  acreage  of  farm  lands  is  301,039;  the  value  of  the  land,  $8,076.- 
430;  buildings,  $1,813,480;  implements  and  machinery,  $271,300;  hvestock, 
$1,762,252.  Of  cattle  there  are  27,572  head;  horses,  10,193;  mules,  1,585; 
sheep,  27,784;  hogs,  57.711;  value,  sales  of  livestock,  $852,339.  Of  dairy 
products  there  were  2,422,917  gallons  of  milk  and  485,790  pounds  of  butter. 
In  this  same  year,  1900,  we  had  under  cultivation  55,398  acres  of  corn, 
yielding  2,025,000  bushels;  4,490  acres  of  oats,  with  112,020  bushels;  wheat, 
28,074  acres,  254,290  bushels;  clover  hay,  15,188  acres.  18,069  tons;  timothy 
hay.  18.230  acres  20,011  tons;  potatoes,  23,610  bushels;  sweet  potatoes,  1,622 
bushels;  miscellaneous  vegetables,  615  acres,  value  $27,461.  In  the  line  of 
fniits,  we  had  95,933  apple  trees,  9,623  cherry  trees,  45-945  peach  trees, 
7,242  pear  trees,  11,800  plum  trees  and  14,922  grape  vines,  and  we  gathered 
35,970  quarts  of  blackberries,  2,840  currants,  5,340  gooseberries,  38,310  rasp- 
berries and  19.220  strawberries. 


CHAPTER    XL 

THE    TOUXSHIPS    OF    rUTXA.M     COCXTY.* 
JACKSOX   TOWXSHIP. 

Jackson  township  is  formed  of  the  full  congressional  township  i6  north, 
range  3  west,  embracing  the  northeast  corner  of  Putnam  county,  and  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  ^Iontgonier\-  county,  on  the  east  by  Hendricks 
county,  on  the  south  by  Floyd  township,  on  the  west  by  Franklin  township. 
It  is  divided  diagonally  from  northeast  to  southwest  by  the  Walnut  fork  of 
Ee!  river,  familiarly  known  as  "Walnut."  The  other  principal  streams  of 
the  township  are  Lick  creek,  in  the  north.  Rock  branch,  in  the  east,  and 
Clear  creek,  in  the  southeast.  There  are  many  other  small  streams,  but  not 
of  sufficient  importance  to  deser\e  special  notice.  The  land  near  the  streams 
is  either  hilly  or  gently  undulating,  originally  covered  with  a  heavy  growth 
of  timber,  among  which  the  sugar-maple  and  poplar  predominate,  though  in- 
terspersed with  white  oak.  chincapin.  oak.  black  walnut  and  sycamore,  im- 
mediately along  the  stream,  as  well  as  some  hackbeny  and  honey  locust. 

The  soil  on  the  untlulating  lands,  near  the  streams,  is  a  rich,  clav  loam; 
but  back  from  the  streams  it  is  wet  anil  cold,  interspersed  with  more  elevated 
portions.  It  is  in  this  township  that  the  swamp  lands  of  Boone  extend  into 
Putnam  county.  The  soil  is  very  productive.  The  black  lands,  especially, 
when  properly  drained,  produce  large  crops  of  corn  and  other  cereals. 

William  Welch  and  John  Smith  built  their  cabins  in  section  34.  about 
the  year  18^5  or  i8_'6.  being  the  first  settlers  of  the  township.  George  Suth- 
erlin  contests  with  these  two  the  honor  of  making  the  earliest  pennanent 
settlement  in  the  township.  In  the  year  182 j.  Othniel  Talbott.  from  Shelbv 
county.  Kentucky,  settleil  in  Jackson,  where  he  found  a  Mr.  Crabtree  and 
Mr.  Brown.  Garrison  Thompson  and  John  John.son.  father  of  the  late  J.  B. 
Johnson,  of  Greencastle.  also  came  in  18^7.  In  182S  came  James  Chitwood. 
Levi  Woods.  Martin  BIythe  and  Henr\'  Harmon,  and  about  one  vear  later 
James  Proctor  settled  in  the  township.     Within  the  next  two  years  tiiere  was 

*Cre(lit  for  the  towng!iii)  sketches  in  this  chapter  is  due  the  late  Gilliim  Ridpath, 
who  published  a  brief  but  very  entertaining  historical  account  of  Putnam  county  in 
1S79  and  from  whose  worl;  the  greater  part  of  the  material  in  this  chapter  was  ob- 
tained. 


152  WEIK  S  HISTORY  OF 

a  large  increase  of  population.  Among  those  who  came  at  that  time  may  be 
mentioned  John  Keith,  John  Boyd,  Wilson  Warford,  William  Elrod,  Wil- 
liam Hillis,  Edward  and  Isom  Silvey,  John  Blake,  James  Goslin.  James  Dun- 
can, John  Leach.  William  Beecraft.  Isom  George,  James  Mooreland,  the  ]Mc- 
Clouds.  the  Pinkertons.  the  Rileys  and  the  Barneses.  This  period  also  em- 
braces the  arrival  of  three  more  of  the  Talbott  pioneers,  Capt.  John  S.  Tal- 
bott,  Lorenzo  Talbott,  Aquila  Talbott.  In  1831  and  1832  there  was  a  large 
immigration,  embracing  Richard  Biddle,  Rev.  John  Case,  George  Keith, 
James  Dale,  S.  Shackleford,  George  and  Harvey  Jefiferies,  Jacob  Crosby,  John 
and  William  ^Miller,  and.  perhaps,  others  equally  worthy,  who,  with  equal 
heroism,  struggled  with  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life. 

David  Johnson,  son  of  John  Johnson,  born  on  section  34,  March  8,  1828, 
was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  township. 

The  first  who  died  was  the  daughter  of  Wilson  Warford.  She  was 
buried  east  of  New  Maysville,  in  a  lot  on  section  26.  which  is  yet  used  as  a 
grave-yard. 

The  first  marriage  was  that  of  Jesse  Evans  and  Miss  Bartima  Welch. 

In  the  spring  of  1831  the  first  school  was  taught  by  Mark  Hardin,  in  a 
log  building  on  section  26. 

John  Crabtree  was  the  first  blacksmith.  His  shop  was  on  the  bank  of 
Walnut  creek. 

John  S.  Talbott  kept  the  first  store.  In  1832  he  commenced  to  sell  goods 
in  a  log  building  on  section  2". 

The  first  mill  erected  in  the  township  was  built  by  Joseph  Hillis.  The 
next  mill  was  erected  by  George  Sutherlin.  the  ne.xt  by  .Abraham  Hillis.  The 
first  named  and  the  last  were  on  \\'alnut.  the  second  on  a  small  tributary. 
The  last  named  ground  corn  only,  the  other  two  ground  wheat  also. 

D.  Barnes  and  Othniel  Talbott  were  the  first  ju.stices  of  the  peace,  fol- 
lowed by  Thomas  Watkins,  John  C.  Goodwin.  George  Stringer.  Wallace 
Perrv,  L.  T.  Herod.  O.  Owsley.  James  [Moreland  and  Jesse  Kendall,  the 
last  named  having  filled  the  office  three  different  times,  amounting  in  all  to  a 
term  of  twenty-five  years. 

The  first  postmaster  was  John  5.  Talbott.  the  office  having  l^een  estab- 
lished in  his  store  in  the  year  1832.  He  was  followed  by  William  Long.  John 
H.  Roberts.  William  Epperson.  R.  C.  Bo\-d  and  Jesse  Kendall. 

Dr.  William  Long,  who  located  in  the  township  in  the  year  1S34.  was 
the  first  physician. 

The  Methodists  held  the  first  meetings  in  the  township,  at  the  house 
of  lohn  Johnson,  under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  William  Smith.     Shiloh  church. 


PUTNAM    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  153 

on  the  east  bank  of  W'alnnt.  erected  by  this  denomination  about  the  year  1834, 
was  the  first  structure  of  the  kind  in  the  township.  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Brown 
dedicated  the  building  and  preached  the  first  sermon  within  those  venerated 
walls.  Lorenzo  Dow,  E.  Wood.  L.  Smith,  Joseph  White  and  Eli  Farmer 
were  the  pioneer  Methodist  preachers  of  Jackson  township. 

The  Regular  Baptists  organized  a  congregation  here  about  1S3J.  John 
Case.  William  Hogan  and  Carter  Hunter  were  among  their  first  preachers. 
For  many  vears  their  church  Iniilding  was  located  on  the  farm  of  Jesse 
Eggers.  The  second  house  of  worship  in  the  township  was  built  at  Xew 
INIavsville  bv  this  denomination,  soon  after  the  town  was  laid  out. 

The  organization  of  the  ^Missionary  Baptists  in  the  township  dates  from 
1841.  Elders  Palmer.  Davis.  Kirkendall  and  Rhinerson  were  among  the 
first  pastors  of  this  congregation. 

The  Christian  church  was  organized  in  1839,  by  Nathan  Waters  and 
Gilbert  Harney.  In  1840  they  erected  a  church  at  New  Maysville,  which  was 
occupied  until  1856.  when  they  built  their  present  house  in  the  same  village. 
The  early  preachers  of  this  denomination  were  Elders  Thomas  Lockhart. 
Oliver  P.  Badger.  Wilson  Barnes.  Coombs.  Blankenship  and  O'Kane. 

There  are  two  villages  within  the  bounds  of  Jackson  township.  Xew 
INIaysville  is  located  on  sections  27  and  34.  It  was  laid  out  in  1832.  by  Rich- 
ard Riddle,  on  land  owned  by  John  Johnson,  William  Welch  and  Aquila 
Talhott.  The  place  was  named  by  Richard  Biddle.  after  Maysville.  Mason 
county.  Kentuck}'. 

The  postmasters  at  Xew  ^Maysville.  with  dates  of  appointment,  are  as 
follows:  John  S.  Talbot,  June  14.  1S34;  William  Long.  November  27,  1839; 
John  B.  Mayhall.  X'ovember  9.  1841  :  J.  H.  Johnston.  Octolier  24,  1844;  Jesse 
Kendall.  July  6,  1846;  John  H.  Roberts.  October  20.  1853;  B.  F.  Mills,  April 
8,  1854:  Robert  C  Boyd.  December  29.  1854:  William  W.  Epperson,  Decem- 
ber 18.  1856;  Jesse  Kendall.  April  7.  1859;  John  W.  Sutherland.  August  i, 
1879:  William  E.  Vendling,  April  2-.  1885:  L.  B.  Mills.  May  3.  1889;  L.  T. 
Buchanan.  May  15.  1893:  Leonidas  B.  ^lills.  April  9.  1897. 

Fort  Red.  now  called  Barnard,  is  located  on  sections  i  and  12.  and  was 
laid  out  by  William  DeMoss  in  1876. 

Perhaps  John  Johnson  did  as  much  as  any  other  for  the  moral  and  re- 
ligious training  of  the  people,  as  he  had  four  sons  who  were  circuit-riding 
preachers,  and  his  family  was  of  unimpeachable  character.  In  regard  to  its 
moral  status.  Jackson  stands  as  high,  perhaps,  as  any  other  township  in  the 
county.  ne\er  ha\ing  hatl  a  representative  in  the  penitentiary,  or  e\'en  in  the 
county  jad.      The  township  has  ne\er  contained  a   saloon.      Three   of   the 


154 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


leading  religious  denominations  have  a  fair  representation  in  the  township. 
In  politics  the  township  is  overwhelmingly  Democratic;  especially  is  this 
true  of  the  north  and  northwest  side  of  Walnut:  on  the  southeast  side  of 
the  creek  the  parties  are  more  equally  divided. 

FR.VNKLIX    TOWNSHIP. 

Franklin  township,  lying  in  the  middle  of  the  north  tier  of  townships 
in  Putnam  county,  comprises  congressional  township  i6  north,  range  4  west, 
and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Montgomery  county  and  on  the  east  by  Jack- 
son township,  on  the  south  by  Monroe  township,  on  the  west  by  Russell  town- 
ship. Its  surface  is  rolling,  presenting  to  the  view  a  varied  appearance.  The 
township  is  drained  by  Raccoon  creek  in  the  north.  North  Ramp  creek  through 
the  center,  and  South  Ramp  creek  in  the  southwest,  all  of  which  take  a  west- 
ward course.  The  soil  of  the  township  is  very  fertile,  producing  five  crops 
of  grain  and  grass.  The  township  was  originally  well  supplied  with  timber, 
consisting  principally  of  poplar,  walnut,  oak,  hickory,  beech  and  ash.  The 
Louisville,  New  Albany  &  Chicago  railroad  crosses  the  township  north  and 
south,  nmning  through  the  eastern  tier  of  the  sections,  and  the  Cincinnati, 
Hamilton  &  Dayton  railroad  crosses  it  east  and  west.  The  township  has  one 
incorporated  town,  Roachdale.  and  two  villages.  Fincastle  and  Carpenters- 
ville.  It  is  inhabited  by  an  enterprising  class  of  farmers  who,  improving  its 
natural  advantages,  have  placed  it  in  the  front  rank  of  the  townships  of 
Putnam. 

Franklin  township  was  not  settled  until  1824.  two  years  after  the  organi- 
zation of  the  county.  In  that  year.  James  Gordon  and  William  Elrod  settled 
in  that  part  of  the  county,  lieing  the  first  to  make  their  way  thither.  They 
were  joined  the  next  year  by  Garrett  Gibson  and  James  Fiddler.  In  i8j6 
came  Da\id  Barnes,  Thomas  House,  David  House.  Joshua  Burnett.  William 
Giddons.  John  Miller.  Samuel  Osbom  and  Thomas  Batman.  The  new- 
comers for  18J7-28  were  James  Makemson.  the  LaFolletts.  the  Henkles.  Mr. 
Brothers  and  Thomas  Grider.  During  the  ne.xt  year.  John  Dickerson.  A. 
Osbom.  Samuel  and  Isaac  Brown  arrived,  and  were  joined  in  1830-31  by 
James  Stephens.  George  Wright,  the  Catherwoods.  Jesse  Hymer.  James  E. 
Edwards.  Philip  Carpenter.  A.  S.  Farrow  and  others. 

The  first  habitation  of  the  white  man  in  the  township  was  erected  in 
the  thirty-sixth  section  by  the  first  white  inhabitant.  James  Gordon.  The 
first  blacksmith  forge  that  rang  its  peals  in  that  neighborhood  was  put  up 
and  worked  in   1828  bv  Philip  Lemon.     The  first  store  was  kept  by  Philip 


PUTNAM    COUXTY.    INDIANA.  155 

Carpenter,  and  was  located  south  of  the  site  of  Carpentersville  in  the  year  of 
1 83 1.  The  first  white  child  bom  in  the  township  was  James  Gordon,  son  of 
Anderson  Gordon.  The  first  school  was  taught  by  a  man  named  Elliott  in 
1839,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fincastle.  William  Elrod  was  the  first  justice 
of  the  peace.  Henry  Rogers  located  here  in  183J.  and  became  the  first  prac- 
titioner of  medicine  in  the  township. 

The  first  church  organization  was  effected  by  the  Presbyterians,  who 
at  an  early  day  held  meetings  at  the  house  of  George  Pearcy.  in  section  i, 
Monroe  township,  but  soon  removed  into  a  church  on  section  32,  in  Franklin. 
This  congregation  was  under  the  pastoral  charge  of  Rev.  James  H.  Shields. 
The  Presbyterians  now  have  a  house  of  worship  and  a  good  membership  at 
Carpentersville.  The  Christian  denomination  next  organized  about  the  year 
1827.  Elders  Coombs.  Haney.  Harris  and  Girder  were  among  their  first 
preachers.  Their  present  church  edifice  is  located  at  Fincastle.  The  Regu- 
lar Baptists  were  organized  in  1829,  at  James  Fiddler's  house  by  Rev. 
Xathan  Keeney.  They  at  present  have  a  fair  membership,  who  worship  in 
a  church  building  in  section  21.  For  some  cause  the  Methodists  did  not  push 
their  organization  into  Franklin  as  early  as  into  other  townships  of  the 
county.  Their  history  is.  therefore,  more  meager  than  that  of  other  denomi- 
nations. They  have  a  church  at  Carpentersville.  where  they  are  represented 
by  a  good  membership.     They  have,  also,  a  brick  church  at  Fincastle. 

Carpentersville.  situated  near  the  southeast  comer  of  the  township,  on 
the  Louisville,  Xew  .Albany  &  Chicago  railroad,  was  laid  out  about  the  year 
1840  by  Philip  Carpenter,  who  had  been  carrying  on  a  tan  yard  there  for 
several  vears  prior  to  that  time.  Logan  Sutherlin  was  the  first  merchant  and 
a  Mr.  Bradford  the  first  blacksmith.  William  King  taught  the  first  school 
and  Doctor  Cross  was  the  first  physician.  The  Meth(vlist  Epi.scopal  church 
was  the  fir.st  organized,  and  the  Presbyterians  followed  soon  afterward.  Both 
of  these  denominations  now  have  church  edifices  in  the  village. 

The  postmasters  at  Carpentersville,  with  dates  of  appointment,  have 
been  as  follows  :  Ezra  Whitney,  May  23.  1850 :  J,  B.  Cross,  October  30.  185 1 ; 
.A.  R.  Hyde.  June  21,  1S53;  Philip  Carpenter,  July  i.  1854:  Robert  M.  Ram- 
sey, .April  18,  1861:  .\.  L.  Goodbar.  March  5,  1863:  James  Turner,  .April  5, 
1864:  Z.  T.  Moffett.  May  29,  1865;  .Archie  Brown,  January  17.  1866:  George 
H.  McKee,  .April  3,  1867:  Joseph  .A.  Patton.  Augu.st  21,  1867:  John  A.  Brown, 
Februarv  13,  1868:  John  T.  Cline,  November  19.  1869:  James  M.  Taylor. 
-August  27.  1875:  \\'illiam  T.  Smith,  January  28,  1876:  George  W.  Corwin, 
February  18.  1879:  W.  F.  Gar\-er.  .April  2.  1S80:  William  D.  Parker,  Sep- 
tember 14,  1883:  E.  B.  Cline.  October  2.  1888:  William  D.  Parker,  .\ugust 


156  WEIKS    HISTORY    OF 

3.  1889:  George  A.  Hutchins,  July  9,  1890;  B.  B.  Cline,  June  27,  1893; 
Marcus  A.  Pickel,  May  21,  1897;  Nina  I.  Dawson,  May  3,  1909. 

Fincastle,  located  in  the  western  part  of  this  township,  was  laid  out  in 
the  year  1838  by  John  Oberchain.  A  store  was  soon  opened  by  Allen  Pier- 
son,  and  a  blacksmith  shop  by  the  Conner  brothers.  The  school  was  taught 
by  Wilson  Turner,  who  was  also  the  first  resident  physician. 

The  postmasters  at  Fincastle  have  been  as  follows :  David  Fosher, 
October  21,  1847:  R.  W.  Moss,  ?klarch  6,  1850;  Charles  B.  Bridger,  June  11, 
1853;  S.  J.  Ritchey,  June  23,  1855;  William  B.  Cunningham,  April  3,  1857; 
Discontinued  November  20,  1858;  Robert  L.  Bridges  (Re-Est.),  February 
15,  1877;  Thomas  L.  Grider,  April  5,  1881  ;  Jesse  B.  Fosher,  February  16, 
1883;  Zaccheus  Grider,  June  18,  1884;  James  B.  Shannon,  July  9,  1885; 
Calvin  Harris,  January  24.  1889;  Thomas  L.  Grider,  January  17,  1890; 
Ora  G.  Edwards,  May  4.  1893;  James  F.  Edwards,  May  25.  1895;  H.  C. 
Fosher,  October  26,  1895;  Thomas  L.  Grider,  September  13,  1897;  discon- 
tinued Januan*^  14,  1905. 

The  town  of  Roachdale,  located  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  town- 
ship, is  the  latest  accession  to  the  list  of  towns  in  the  county.  It  was  incor- 
porated shortly  after  the  completion  of  the  Indianapolis,  Decatur  &  Spring- 
field railroad,  March  25,  1882.  As  the  latter  road  crossed  the  Louisville, 
New  Albany  &  Chicago  railroad  at  this  point,  the  town  naturally  experienced 
a  very  rapid  growth,  and  has  steadily  held  its  own  ever  since.  Its  first  town 
officers  consisted  of  the  following:  John  W.  Hargrave,  Sam  B.  Sweeney, 
Justice  M.  Ghormly,  trustees;  Samuel  J.  Hennon,  clerk,  John  H.  Grantham, 
treasurer;  John  Pinnell,  marshal. 

The  present  officers  are:  John  H.  JeiTries,  Judson  Lindley,  J.  W'.  San- 
ders, trustees ;  R.  E.  Greene,  treasurer  and  clerk ;  L.  C.  Cummings.  marshal. 

There  are  four  churches  in  the  town.  Methodist,  Christian,  Presbyterian 
and  Baptist.  A  beautiful  and  commodious  school  building,  with  modern  con- 
veniences, was  built  several  years  ago,  containing  seven  class  rooms  and  pro- 
visions for  a  commissioned  high  school.  The  school  board  consists  of  C.  C. 
Collins,  president;  G.  ^^'.  Irwin,  secretary-,  and  C.  F.  Rice,  treasurer. 

The  following  fraternal  orders  are  represented :  ^Masons :  Levi  S. 
Worrell,  worshipful  master:  Otto  K.  Henry,  senior  warden:  Sam  W. 
Dodds.  junior  warden :  O.  A.  Shepard.  treasurer :  G.  W.  Irwin,  secretary ; 
Fred  L.  McAmick.  senior  deacon:  John  T.  Sutherlin.  junior  deacon:  \\'illard 
Gough.  J.  Ed  Crosby,  stewards ;  Scott  Wyatt.  tyler. 

Knights  of  Pythias :  John  Sutherlin.  chancellor  commander :  Thomas 
Sutherlin.  vice-commander:  E.  W.  Webster,  prelate:  Oliver  Bales,  master  of 


PUTNAM    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  1 57 

work;  D.  A.  Smith,  keeper  of  records  and  seal;  I.  E.  W'eddle,  master  of 
finance:  Amos  W'endling.  master  of  exchequer;  Ben  Dean,  inside  guard;  John 
Oakley,  outside  guard. 

Odd  Fellows ;  William  Davis,  noble  grand ;  Charles  Mclntyre,  vice- 
grand;  Ernest  Thompson,  J.  B.  Gough,  secretaries;  B.  L.  Hall,  treasurer; 
M.  A.  Eggers.  warden;  Jesse  Young,  conductor;  William  Radford,  inside 
guard;  Amos  Wendling.  outside  guard:  C.  L.  Airhart.  chaplain. 

Modern  Woodmen:  W.  C.  Banies.  venerable  consul;  C.  T.  Miller, 
worthy  adviser;  R.  E.  Greene,  clerk;  G.  D.  luppenlatz.  banker. 

The  only  bank  in  the  town  is  called  the  Roachdale  Bank.  O.  A.  Shepard 
is  president ;  Joseph  Cline.  cashier,  and  Margaret  Hanna,  assistant  cashier. 
The  weekly  paper  is  called  The  Roachdale  Nezcs  and  is  edited  by  L.  L.  Ware 
and  R.  E.  Greene.  The  postmaster  is  Charles  McGaughey.  There  is  an  elec- 
tric light  plant,  two  sawmills,  a  large  elevator  and  the  Putnam  Veneer  & 
Lumber  Company,  all  doing  a  profitable  and  thriving  business.  In  popula- 
tion the  town  ranks  next  to  Greencastle. 

The  postmasters  at  Roachdale,  with  dates  of  their  appointment,  have  been 
as  follows:  William  B.  Lewis,  February  3,  1880;  William  B.  Lewis.  Feb- 
ruarv-  24.  1880;  F.  M.  Ghormley.  July  6.  1880;  George  'SI.  Cook.  January 
23,  1882;  Francis  M.  Ghormley.  April  10,  1882;  John  T.  Cline,  December 
II.  1884:  George  Justice.  May  3,  1889:  John  Dodd.  .\pril  5.  1893;  George 
Justice,  May  i,  1897;  Charles  McGaughey,  March  21,  1904. 

RUSSELL   TOWNSHIP. 

This  township  was  originally  a  part  of  Clinton,  but  in  182S  Clinton  was 
divided,  and  Russell  was  formed  as  it  now  stands.  It  occupies  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  county,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Montgomer}-  county, 
on  the  east  bv  Franklin  township,  on  the  south  by  Clinton  township,  on  the 
west  bv  Parke  county.  This  township  is  composed  of  congressional  town- 
ship 16.  range  5.  The  streams  that  drain  Russell  are  Raccoon  creek  and 
Ramp  creek,  with  their  several  tributaries,  all  taking  a  southwestward  course. 
The  timber  is  of  an  excellent  quality,  and  of  a  variety  similar  to  that  of  the 
neighboring  townships.  The  soil  is  excellent,  especially  in  the  northern  and 
northwestern  portions,  the  county  around  Russellville  being  charming  in 
its  natural  character,  and  finely  improved.  The  southwestern  portion  is  con- 
siderable broken,  though  the  soil  is  good,  and  there  are  many  fine  farms. 
The  township,  upon  the  whole,  is  considered  one  of  the  finest  in  the  countv. 

Russell  township  was  one  of  the  first  settled.     David  Swank,  who  came 


WEIK  S    HISTORY   OF 


in  1820  and  built  his  cabin  on  what  is  still  known  in  the  neighliorhood  as 
the  "Swank  fann/'.in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  township,  was  the  first 
settler.  In  the  same  year  came  Allen  Elliott,  who  settled  on  Big  Raccoon, 
near  the  center  of  the  township;  Austin  Puett.  who  settled  near  the  site  of 
Portland  Mills ;  and  Clark  Butcher,  who  also  settled  on  Big  Raccoon. 

In  1 82 1  came  John  Anderson.  John  Westfall.  Christian  Landis.  Andrew 
Robertson,  B.  Rosencranze.  William  Sutherlin,  John  Gleason,  Samuel  Steele, 
Thomas  Thompson.  Jacob  Beck  and  a  brother.  John  Doherty  and  Andrew 
Boyd.  John  Fosher  built  his  cabin  on  Ramp  creek  and  removed  his  family 
thither  in  1822.  The  year  1822  marks  the  arrival,  also,  of  John  Guilliams, 
Jacob  Bickle  and  .\.  B.  Denton.  From  1822  to  1825.  Mark  Homan.  R.  V. 
Garrott.  Thomas  Page.  I.  Aldridge.  Jacob  Stid  and  Thomas  Norman  became 
residents  of  the  township. 

Within  the  next  five  years,  the  ancestors  of  the  Wilsons,  the  Evanses, 
the  Clodfelters.  the  McGaugheys.  Spencers.  Burketts.  Forgeys.  Blakes  and 
manv  others  were  added  to  the  pioneer  population. 

The  first  birth  which  occurred  in  the  township  is  a  matter  of  dispute. 
The  priority  belongs  either  to  a  child  of  Christian  and  IVIatilda  Dearduff.  or 
to  Miss  Guilliams.  the  wife  of  John  McGaughey.  who  was  born  about  the 
year  1823.  The  first  marriage  was  that  of  John  Guilliams  and  Miss  Lydia 
Fosher,  which  took  place  in  July.  1822.  They  were  married  by  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Ouinlet.  The  manner  in  which  this  wedding  was  conducted  serves  to 
illustrate  the  character  of  the  times,  and  the  simple  habits  of  the  pioneers. 
Mr.  Guilliams,  who  was  busily  engaged  in  plowing  com.  made  arrangements 
with  his  intended  wife  that,  on  the  day  of  the  marriage,  when  the  preacher 
should  arrive,  and  she  should  be  ready,  she  should  inform  him  of  the  facts. 
In  due  time  the  preacher  came,  and  a  child  was  dispatched  to  notify  the 
groom  that  all  things  were  ready.  Hitching  his  horse  in  the  field,  he  repaired 
to  the  house  where  the  ceremony  was  performed,  when  he  retumetl  to  his 
labor,  as  though  nothing  unusual  had  taken  place. 

Daniel  Anderson,  who  ministered  unto  the  people  of  the  township  dur- 
ing the  years  of  1824  and  1825,  was  their  first  preacher.  He  was  followed 
by  William  H.  Smith.  Lorenzo  Dow.  and  others  of  the  noble  band  which  they 
represent.  The  first  school  house  was  built  on  the  farm  of  John  Fosher.  in 
1823.  in  which  the  first  school  was  taught  the  same  year.  The  first  mill  in 
the  township  was  built  by  Jacob  Beck  and  was  long  known  as  Beck's  Mill. 
This  was  erected  in  1820  and  1821.  The  buhrs  of  this  mill  were  made  by 
John  Guy.  from  a  boulder  which  lay  near  the  mill  site.  The  ne.xt  was 
Swank's  Mill,  built  in   1823.     James  Secrest  opened  at  Blakesburgh  the  first 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    IXDIAXA.  1 59 

Store  from  which  goods  were  sold  in  Russell  township.  In  1823  John  Fosher 
established  a  tan-yard  on  Ramp  creek,  which  was  the  first  in  this  portion  of 
the  county.  Col.  James  Blake  erected  a  '"Sang  Factory"  at  the  same  place, 
and  operated  it  from  1826  to  1830.  This  factory  gave  employment  to  all 
who  were  not  otherwise  employed,  in  digging  "sang."  which  fountl  a  ready 
market.  Jesse  Blake,  also,  had  an  interest  in  this  factor}-.  The  first  church 
was  built  at  Russellville  in  1830.  When  the  town  was  laid  out  in  iSj8. 
arrangements  were  made  for  the  erection  of  a  church,  which  was  completed 
two  years  later.  The  first  Fourth  of  July  celebration  was  held  on  the  farm 
of  John  Dougherty,  near  Portland  ]\lills.  in  1S28.  Gen.  George  K.  Steele 
acting  as  marshal  of  the  day.  Drs.  James  B.  Clark.  Copeland.  Winslow. 
Rogers  and  John  Slavens  were  the  first  practicing  physicians  in  this  com- 
munity. 

The  only  town  in  Russell  township  is  Russellville.  It  was  laid  out  in 
i8j8.  but  was  not  incorporated  until  early  in  the  eighties.  About  that  time 
it  was  reached  by  the  Indianapolis.  Decatur  &  Western  railroad,  which  so 
added  to  its  population  that  it  was  deemed  proper  to  make  an  incorporated 
town  of  it.  In  early  days  its  leading  citizen  was  Jacob  Durham,  who  emi- 
grated frr;m  Kentucky  and  set  up  the  first  blacksmith  shop.  Later  he  became 
the  village  merchant,  was  postmaster,  justice  of  the  peace  and  filled  various 
places  of  trust  and  responsibility.  As  a  business  man  ]\Ir.  Durham  was  very 
successful.  Although  his  early  educational  advantages  were  somewhat  mea- 
gre, yet  he  was  a  man  of  unusually  sound  judgment  and  intelligence.  He 
was  alike  shrewd,  industrious  and  enterprising.  He  bought  groceries  in  Xew 
Orleans,  iron  in  Pittsburg,  and  dry  goods  in  Philadelphia.  These  all  reached 
Montezuma  by  water,  and  were  carted  overland  to  Russellville.  His  son 
recalls  seeing  his  father  set  out  for  the  market  in  Philadelphia,  making  the 
entire  trip  on  horseback.  He  accumulated  a  snug  fortune,  much  of  which 
was  represented  by  some  of  the  finest  farming  lands  in  the  county.  About 
i860  he  retired  from  active  business  and  removed  to  Greencastle.  where  he 
resiiled  in  a  beautiful  suburban  home  till  his  death.  August  11.  1864. 

The  present  town  officers  are :  Robert  Brumfield.  Romulus  Boyd.  Roy 
Carter,  trustees;  John  Oliver,  marshal:  Samuel  Brown,  treasurer:  George 
Scott,  clerk. 

There  are  three  churches.  Methodist.  Presbyterian  and  Christian,  and 
a  handsome  new  school  building  with  provisions  for  the  lower  grades  and 
four  grades  of  high  school  work.  Russellville  is  also  plentifully  supplied 
with  secret,   fraternal  and  benevolent  orders. 


x6o  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

The  Masonic  Lodge,  Xo.  141.  of  which  Ernest  Simpson  is  worshipful 
master  and  J.  N.  Fordyce,  secretary. 

Odd  Fellows,  Lodge  No.  841 ;  W.  P.  Byrd,  noble  grand;  Jonathan  Tage, 
secretary. 

Knights  of  Pythias,  Lodge  No.  310:  Samuel  Cox,  chancellor  com- 
mander; Burton  Long,  keeper  of  records  and  seal. 

Modern  Woodmen,  Camp  No.  5616:  R.  S.  Redlen,  venerable  consul; 
Thomas  Walden,  clerk. 

Ben  Hur,  Court  No.  60:  James  Fordyce.  chief;  Frank  Kennedy,  sec- 
retary. 

The  newspaper  of  Russellville  is  published  weekly  and  called  The  Search- 
light. Erasmus  Parrett  is  the  editor.  There  is  one  bank  called  the  Russell- 
ville Bank,  of  which  James  Durham  is  president  and  Ernest  Durham,  cashier. 

The  commercial  and  industrial  facilities  of  the  place  are  represented  by 
one  flouring  mill,  two  sawmills,  an  elevator,  lumber  yard,  two  hardware 
stores,  three  general  stores,  one  grocery-  store,  two  restaurants,  three  barber 
shops,  a  furniture  and  undertaking  store,  meat  market,  drug  store,  millinery 
store,  shoe  shop  and  blacksmith  shop.  Three  physicians  guard  the  health 
of  the  inhabitants,  who  number  approximately  five  hundred. 

The  list  of  Russellville's  postmasters  and  the  dates  of  their  appointment, 
follows:  Jacob  Durham.  March  29,  1832;  James  B.  Brumfield,  August  5, 
1850:  William  H.  Durham,  May  5.  1853:  James  L.  Wilson,  February  24, 
1865:  Uriah  Brown,  April  24,  1866;  Joseph  H.  Orear,  May  8,  1867;  Joseph 
T.  Hopkins,  November  12,  1867;  William  M.  Darter,  April  27,  1882:  Wil- 
liam ^L  Darter.  December  5,  1882:  William  H.  Long,  June  26,  1885;  Wil- 
liam H.  Long,  September  3,  1885;  L'riah  Brown,  January  3,  1889:  J.  W. 
Har^-ey,  June  10,  1889;  Charles  W.  Winn.  July  27.  1893;  J.  R.  Whitson, 
June  14.  1897;  Nelson  F.  Scribner.  June  22,  1901. 

CLIXTOX    TOWXSIIIP. 

Clinton  township  joins  Russell  on  the  south,  and  is  the  preceding  con- 
gressional township  of  the  same  range.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Russell, 
on  the  east  1)v  Monroe,  on  the  south  by  Madison  township  and  on  the  west  by 
Parke  count  v.  .\  small  p(3rtion  of  Clinton  is  a  little  rough  and  broken, 
though  most  of  it  lies  well,  and  the  township  altogether  is  a  fine  body  of 
land  and  very  well  improved. 

The  first  entrv  of  land  in  this  township  was  made  by  Ashbury  Van- 
dever.  on  Tune  17.   1821:  the  next  by  Roan  Irwin.  July  22,   1S21  ;  the  third 


PUTNAM     COUNTY.    INDIANA.  l6l 

by  Sampson  Sutheiiin.  August  2.  1S21  ;  the  fourth  by  Israel  Limler.  October 
8.  1S21.  Some  of  the  entries  of  the  year  1822  were  made  by  the  following 
named,  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  given:  Alexander  Johnson,  Abner 
Goodwin,  John  Holt.  John  Dougherty.  Isaiah  Vermillion.  Andrew  McG. 
Walker.  Andrew  J.  Walker  and  James  Peakle. 

Among  the  old  settlers  are  named  James  Johnson.  Arthur  Walker. 
Thomas  Hart.  Edward  Xewgent.  Wilson  Spaulding,  Oliver  McCoy.  Moses 
Spurgeon,  Stephen  C.  Burk.  Jonathan  Manker,  ^lichael  Etter.  James  Craw- 
ford, Oliver  Tally.  Eli  Brackney,  Robert  Johnson.  John  Butler.  Isaiah  Rat- 
liff.  William  C.  Butcher.  Jonathan  Bee.  Judge  William  McKee.  Scady  Chand- 
ler. Daniel  Herron.  William  Angel.  Mr.  Shonkwiler,  John  Xewgent,  Mrs.  Ed 
Xewgent,  John  Raglan,  Luke  Gardner.  Charles  X'ewgent.  Clark  Hamilton 
and  H.  L.  Hamilton.  Andrew  Sigler  and  Rev.  Turpin  Darnall  were  also 
among  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  township. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  that  of  John  Sigler,  son  of  Andrew 
and  Sarah  Sigler.  on  December  15.  1825.  Andrew  Sigler  and  Sarah  Heady 
were  the  first  persons  married  in  the  township.  The  first  blacksmith  was  a 
man  named  Twigg.  The  first  grist-mill  was  put  up  in  the  year  1825  by  Cap- 
tain Goodwin,  on  Little  Walnut  creek.  Like  many  others  of  those  early 
days,  it  was  a  kind  of  wet-weather  mill  and  could  run  only  when  the  hea- 
vens gave  a  supply  of  water.  Capt.  William  H.  Thornburgh,  so  well  known  to 
the  citizens  of  Putnam  county,  taught  the  first  school  in  Clinton  township  at 
Captain  Goodwin's  mill.  The  first  physician  in  the  township  was  Doctor 
Hubbard,  who  lived  where  Dr.  R.  S.  Hamihon  resided. 

The  first  church  organized  in  this  township  was  the  Predestinarian  Bap- 
tist. This  took  place  about  the  year  1S31.  and  was  conducted  by  Rev.  Tur- 
pin Darnall.  of  Bainbridge.  John  Leatherman  and  Jesse  McClain  were 
among  the  earliest  ministers  of  this  congregation.  A  house  was  soon  built 
and  the  organization  was  kept  up  for  a  number  of  years,  but  it  is  now  dis- 
banded and  the  house  has  gone  to  decay.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
was  organized  about  the  year  18,52.  by  Rev.  William  C.  Smith,  and  a  log 
h(juse  was  built  a  year  later.  Revs.  Wood.  DeMott.  Beck.  Preston  and 
Wright  were  the  early  ministers  of  this  church.  A  few  years  later  two  other 
Methodist  churches  were  organized  in  the  township  and  the  log  houses  were 
erected.  All  three  of  these  buildings  have  been  replaced  with  frame  ones  of 
suijstantial  character.  About  forty  years  ago.  the  Tunker  denomination  or- 
ganized a  church  in  this  township  and  built  a  good  frame  hou.se  of  worship, 
where  they  still  hold  regular  service.s. 
(II) 


X62  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

In  Clinton  township  there  are  three  villages,  Portland  Mills,  Morton 
and  Clinton  Falls.  The  first  named  is  an  old  town,  and  is  so  situated  that  a 
part  of  it  is  in  Clinton  and  a  part  in  Russell  township.  Putnam  county,  and 
a  part  in  each  of  two  townships  in  Parke  county. 

The  postmasters  at  Clinton  Falls  have  been  as  follows :  L.  K.  Dille, 
August  31.  1S74:  William  R.  Mead,  January  19.  1875;  William  H.  Boswell, 
June  12.  1877;  ^I-  ^V.  Spaulding,  August  27,  1879;  James  T.  Brady,  Decem- 
ber 15.  1880;  William  Davis,  February  18.  1884;  J.  T.  Tucker,  August  21, 
1885;  A.  D.  Miller,  April  19,  188S;  C.  W.  Batchelder,  June  10,  1889:  John 
T.  Craig,  December  30,  1890;  Priscilla  M.  Vennillion,  May  19,  1893;  Charles 
W.  Keyt.  June  3.  1897;  postoflice  discontinued  August  31,  1901.  At  Morton 
they  have  been:  Andrew  Dierdorf,  October  9,  1855;  James  Nicholson,  De- 
cember 6,  1855;  Thomas  I.  Darnall,  July  17,  1857;  Melvin  McKee,  August 
19,  1857;  John  M.  Wilson,  October  19,  1859;  Martin  Frank,  November  4, 
1864;  Walter  Sewall,  August  12,  1868;  George  W.  Hanna,  May  31,  1878; 
Robert  H.  Whitted,  January  30,  1885;  M.  E.  Thomas,  May  25,  1885;  R.  H. 
Burkett,  November  26,  1887;  Thomas  J.  Mount,  February  14.  1889; 
Charles  M.  Bettis,  May  31,  1889;  A.  V.Thomas,  April  5,  1893:  C.  L. 
Clodfelter,  March  21,  1895;  Christian  Crodian,  July  22,  1897;  dis- 
continued January  14,  1905.  The  postmasters  at  Portland  Mills,  and 
dates  of  appointment,  are  as  follows :  Samuel  M.  Hart,  September 
15,  1851;  William  C.  Dickson,  January  15,  1853;  Henry  Baker,  No- 
vember 6,  1854;  Jesse  D.  Alexander,  April  29,  1859;  John  Cook,  June 
■  25,  1861 ;  John  M.  Hart.  August  i,  1862;  James  T.  Scott,  April  5.  1864:  A. 
E.  Ramsay,  January  25,  1875;  Andrew  French.  August  i.  1876;  Abraham 
H.  Carver,  May  16.  1881;  Philip  Kendall.  December  13,  1881 ;  John 
O'Meara,  August  3,  1885;  ]\Iathew  F.  Hanner.  July  21,  1886;  Reeve  C. 
Peare,  October  19,  1887;  R.  C.  Peare,  December  7.  1888;  John  S.  Alexander, 
May  3,  1889;  F.  S.  Hamilton,  April  i,  1893:  John  T.  Carpenter.  May  31, 
1895;  John  S.  Alexander,  iMay  18,  1898;  William  Torn  July  12,  1902;  dis- 
continued December  31,  1904. 

MONROE  TOWNSHIP. 

This  township  was  one  of  the  first  settled  and  is  one  of  the  best  in  the 
county.  It  is  congressional  township  15,  range  4.  and  is  bounded  on  the  north 
bv  Franklin,  on  the  east  by  Floyd,  on  the  south  by  Greencastle.  and  on  the 
west  bv  Clinton  townships.  The  surface  is  mostly  level  in  the  north  part, 
but  more  rolling  in  the  south.     The  soil  is  a  rich  black  loam,  superimposed 


.PUTNAM    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  1 63 

upon  a  yellow  clay  subsoil.  Like  the  rest  of  the  county.  Monroe  was  origin- 
ally covered  with  a  splendid  growth  of  \aluable  timber,  most  of  which 
has  been  cut  and  sold.  The  streams  of  the  township  consist  of  a  few  branches 
of  Big  and  Little  Walnut,  the  latter  just  cutting  the  southeast  corner  in  sec- 
tion 36.  The  township  is  well  improved.  It  has  many  gravel  and  macad- 
amized roads :  one  of  the  most  important  runs  north  from  Greencastle.  and 
another  west  from  Bainbridge.  Along  these  roads  lies  some  of  the  finest 
country  in  Putnam  county;  and  the  farms  are  well  improved,  presenting  the 
evidence  of  care  and  skill  on  the  part  of  their  owners. 

The  first  settlers  were  Jesse  and  Rollin  James,  Elias  Gibson  and  John 
Powell,  who  built  their  cabins  in  1821.  in  the  western  part  of  the  township, 
not  far  from  where  Brick  Chapel  now  stands.  In  1822  came  Isaiah  Vermil- 
lion, Thomas  Heady,  Barnabas  Frakes.  George  W.  Howlett  and  Philip 
Ford.  During  the  next  two  years.  Levi  Stewart.  John.  Abner  and  O.  Good- 
win and  George  Pearcy  became  citizens.  Within  the  years  1825  and  1826 
they  were  joined  by  William  Randall,  James  \V.  Hillis.  Joseph  Logan.  Mr. 
McCorkle.  William  H.  Thomburg,  Andy  Sigler.  Captain  Tumbrick,  Jona- 
than, Aaron  and  Henry  Myres,  Mr.  Glover.  John  and  George  Jackson,  Mr. 
Baileys.  Thomas  Benge,  William  Moss.  Reuben  Slavens.  Edward  Parish, 
Andrew  Byerly.  Joseph  Heath,  Philip  Slater.  Hudson  and  Eli  Brackney, 
Robert  N.  Allen,  Thomas  Starks.  Mr.  Busey.  John  Allen.  Mr.  Penny.  Abra- 
ham Leatherman  and  Luke  Gardner.  The  years  1827  and  1828  mark  the 
arrival  of  Robert  C.  Brown.  Addison  and  Josiah  Lane.  Samuel  Job.  Elswick 
Risk.  George  Gibson,  John  Frakes,  J.  and  P.  Clement  and  W.  Hansel.  There 
was  a  large  increase  of  population  in  the  following  two  years,  among  whom 
were  James  Montgomery.  Daniel  Chadd,  James  Fisk,  Phelan  and  Corbin 
Priest,  James  O'Hair.  John  Brown.  Henry  Foster.  Alexander  Tolin.  Peter 
Graves.  John  Gilkey,  Hiram  B.  Slavens.  Alexander  Farrow.  Thomas  Tins- 
ley.  William  Garrett,  Sharp  Spencer.  Mrs.  Brothers  and  her  son.  Robert 
Brothers,  and  Mr.  Dale.  Among  these  who  came  soon  afterward  may  be 
named  the  Darnalls.  the  Starrs,  the  Thorntons  and  the  FyfFes. 

Among  the  other  old  settlers  were  William  Randall,  Mathew  McCorkle, 
Elizabeth  Howlett,  James  O'Hair,  John  Frakes,  James  Fisk,  Corbin  Priest. 
Robert  Brothers,  John  Slavens.  Charles  B.  Bridges,  James  Gordon.  John 
Starr.  Samuel  Damall.  Mr.  Thornton,  Andrew  Byerly.  Alexander  Tolin  and 
Josiah  Lane. 

The  marriage  of  George  Johnson  and  Susannah  Tomlinson  was  the 
first  in  the  township. 


164  vveik's  history  of 

The  first  blacksmith  was  John  Jackson,  who  built  a  shop  in  section  3J. 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Sylvester  O'Hair.  Thomas  Heady  was  the  first 
justice  of  the  peace.  Then  came  Reuben  Slavens  and  Alexander  Tolin  as 
his  successors  in  office.  The  first  person  who  died  in  the  township  was  a  man 
named  Lane.  He  was  buried  on  the  farm  of  George  W.  Howlett.  The 
Brick  Chapel  grave-yard  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  tciwnship,  and  has  a 
beautiful  location.  There  is  a  grave-yard  near  the  home  of  William  Ran- 
dall, called  Randall's  grave-yard,  which  is  one  of  the  oldest  burying-places 
in  Monroe  township.  The  first  school  was  taught  by  George  Pearcy  in  sec- 
tion I.  north  of  Bainbridge.  About  the  year  1826,  Addison  Lane  taught  a 
school  near  the  site  of  Brick  Chapel,  which  was  the  first  in  that  neighborhood. 
He  was  followed  by  Joseph  Farley  Hiram  B.  Slavens  and  John  Slavens. 
The  Christians  held  the  first  meetings  in  the  township  at  the  house  of  George 
W.  Howlett  in  1823.  Gilbert  Harney  preached  and  conducted  the  services. 
This  house  was  used  as  a  place  of  worship  for  several  years  by  several  dif- 
ferent denominations.  Rev.  Benjamin  Jones,  a  Methodist  minister,  held 
services  also  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Howlett,  shortly  after  the  Christian  mee 
ings  at  the  same  place,  and  here  the  Methodist  church  was  organized  by 
Daniel  Anderson  and  Benjamin  C.  Stevenson.  This  must  have  taken  place 
in  the  conference  year  1826-27,  as  Anderson  and  Stevenson  were  then  pas- 
tors of  the  Eel  River  circuit.  Meetings  were  also  held  in  a  log  school  house 
that  stood  where  Brick  Chapel  now  stands.  The  first  church  building  was 
erected  by  the  Methodists  on  the  present  site  of  the  Montgomery  Chapel.  It 
was  a  small  brick  building  afterward  replaced  by  the  present  commodious 
edifice. 

Bainbridge  is  a  flourishing  town  on  the  Louisville,  Xew  Albany  &  Chi- 
cago railroad,  in  the  northeastern  comer  of  the  township,  occupying  a  part 
of  sections  i,  2,  11  and  12.  It  was  laid  out  by  Levi  A.  Pearcy  March  5, 
1831,  on  land  owned  by  Allen  Pearcy,  John  Elrod,  Thomas  Gordon  and  Ma- 
son Catherwood.  The  town  has  since  been  considerably  enlarged.  The  first 
and  second  additions  were  made  by  Mr.  Cooper.  J.  E.  and  D.  A.  Ouin  made 
the  ne.xt  addition,  and  then  came  Corwin  and  Thornton's  first,  second  and 
third  additions. 

Adam  Feather  was  the  first  blacksmith  in  the  place;  Joshua  Lucas  the 
first  tanner;  John  Cunningham  the  first  merchant;  James  D.  Carter  the  first 
saddler.  William  O.  Darnall  was  also  among  the  first  merchants.  D.  C. 
Donnehue  put  up  the  first  carding  machine  in  the  town,  and  was  also  the  first 
justice  of  the  peace  there. 


PL'TXAM     COL"NTV,    IXDIANA.  165 

The  first  church  organization  was  effected  by  the  Presb}terians.  The 
Methodist  church  was  established  mere  in  1844,  and  the  present  house  of 
worship  was  buih  in  the  year  1S46.  The  founding  of  the  Christian  church 
was  a  little  later  than  that  of  the  Methodist.  The  Baptists  have  a  congrega- 
tion there,  but  no  church  edifice.  The  Catholics  also  have  an  organization, 
and  a  place  of  worship. 

In  1847  Bainbridge  was  incorporated  as  a  town.  The  name  was  sug- 
gested by  the  late  Col.  John  Osborn,  who  then  lived  nearby  and  who  later 
moved  to  Clay  county,  in  honor  of  the  gallant  Commodore  Bainbridge  of 
the  United  States  Xavy.  The  present  olficers  of  the  corporation  are  Jesse 
O.  CoiYman,  A.  F.  Ford  and  Sherman  Murphy,  trustees;  Orlando  R.  Turnev, 
clerk  and  treasurer.  In  the  early  fifties  Bainbridge  took  on  new  life  and  for 
a  time  enjoyed  quite  a  boom  on  account  of  the  building  of  the  Louisville,  New- 
Albany  &  Salem  railroad,  now  the  "Monon  Route."  which  passed  through 
the  town.  It  was  at  that  time  one  of  Bainbridge's  citizens  conceived  and 
carried  to  a  successful  termination  the  idea  of  building  a  mammoth  grist- 
mill. It  was  one  of  the  largest  concerns  of  its  kind  in  this  part  of  the  state, 
but  the  enterprise  ended  in  a  financial  failure,  its  collapse  involving  a  number 
of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  village.  It  finally  passed  into  the  ownership  of 
a  Chicago  man.  who  operated  it  for  several  years,  shipping  the  greater  part 
of  its  output  to  Liverpool  and  other  European  ports.  It  was  the  onlv  mill 
that  ever  shipped  direct  to  Europe  flour  made  from  wheat  grown  in  Putnam 
county.  The  mill  is  still  standing,  though  its  capacity  is  much  reduced,  and 
supplies  the  wants  of  the  local  trade. 

Bainbridge  has  a  new  brick  school  building  erected  last  year.  It  contains 
all  the  modern  conveniences  and  is  both  a  beautiful  and  useful  addition  to 
the  town's  attractions.  Six  teachers  are  employed  who  teach  all  the  common 
and  high  school  grades.  There  are  also  five  churches  representing  as  many 
different  religious  denominations:  Catholic,  Presbyterian,  Methodist,  Chris- 
tian and  Christian  L'nion.  A  Masonic  lodge  was  organized  years  ago  in 
Bainbridge.  of  which  Milton  Brown  is  worshipful  master  and  James  L.  Mc- 
Kee  secretan.-;  also  a  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  which  William 
Brown  is  chancellor  commander,  and  Fred  Steele  is  keeper  of  records  and 
seal;  a  camp  of  Modern  Woodmen,  of  which  ^I.  F.  Parks  is  venerable  con- 
sul, and  Samuel  Ratcliff  is  clerk,  and  a  post — No.  463 — Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  of  which  John  \\"ilkinson  is  commander,  and  George  W.  Starr  is 
adjutant. 

The  town  has  one  newspaper.  Tlic  Bainbridyc  Xcws.  published  weekly, 
of  which  George  W.  Grames  is  the  editor  and  proprietor,  and  (5ne  bank,  called 


i66  weik's  history  of 

the  Bainbridge  Bank,  of  which  T.  P.  Moffett  is  president;  J.  M.  Reed,  vice- 
president,  and  Charles  AI.  Moffett  cashier.  There  are  also  the  following 
manufacturing  enterprises:  Glove  and  mitten  factory,  owned  by  Horace 
Pherson;  planing  mill  and  lumber  yard,  operated  by  Lockridge  &  x\shby; 
sawmill,  by  L.  C.  Priest,  and  two  factories  for  the  manufacture  of  cement 
blocks  and  castings  operated  by  Allee  &  Welch  and  Albert  Hubbard  &  Son, 
respectively. 

Bainbridge  has  a  population  of  about  five  hundred.  AbotiC  two  years 
ago  a  commercial  club  was  organized  to  attract  capital  and  new  people  to 
the  place  and  to  that  end  a  tract  of  land  was  bought,  platted  and  annexed  to 
the  town.  Several  lots  have  been  sold  and  a  number  of  houses  are  being 
built.  The  intention  is  to  donate  suitable  ground  for  factory  sites,  etc.  The 
officers  are  Milton  F.  Darnall,  president,  and  Charles  M.  Moffett,  secretary. 
The  following  have  served  as  postmaster  at  Bainbridge :  Joshua  H. 
Lucas,  February  13,  1835;  D.  C.  Donnohue,  February  13,  1841 ;  Abiathar 
Crane,  December  10,  1851;  A.  J.  Darnall,  November  i.  1853;  William  W 
Gill,  January  31,  1855;  Charles  M.  Nye.  June  23,  1855;  John  W.  Cooper, 
February  6,  1856;  William  B.  Walls,  November  27,  1856;  Thomas  L.  Ellis, 
August  4,  i860;  Amos  K.  Payne,  April  15,  1861  ;  Mary  E.  Darnall,  January 
5,  1864:  B.  F.  Duncan,  May  31,  1866;  Mary  E.  Darnall,  June  12,  1866; 
Marv  Ellis.  February  25,  1868;  Mary  E.  Darnall,  Alarch  25.  1869;  Carleton 
McDaniel,  July  18,  1882;  George  W.  Hansel,  May  25,  1885;  C.  C.  Coffman. 
May  3,  1889;  Milroy  Gordon,  June  20.  1893;  Thomas  J.  Gordon,  July  3, 
1894:  Anna  M.  Gordon.  December  8.  1900;  James  F.  Smith,  September  11, 
1903;  Glen  D.  Lemberger,  February  13,  1909.  At  Brick  Chapel,  which  was 
discontinued  as  a  postoffice  on  February  28.  1905.  the  following  named  served 
as  postmasters:  L.  L.  Maxwell.  April  28.  1873:  F.  G.  Albin.  January  5, 
1874;  Willis  P.  Wood,  July  14,  1874;  discontinued  November  5,  1875: 
re-established  May  8,  1876;  William  M.  Smith,  May  8,  1876;  R.  M.  Baker. 
November  10,  1876;  William  N.  Scobee,  July  9,  1877;  R.  F.  Oakley.  Septem- 
ber 16.  1879:  James  L.  Fisk,  January  16.  1883;  John  Slavens.  March  9, 
1883;  George  S.  Frank.  July  28.  1885;  J.  W.  S.  Wyatt.  February  17,  1887; 
William  T.  Overbey.  June  15,  1889;  Robert  S.  Harbison.  April  18.  1890; 
Michael  Rising.  January  10.  1896. 

FLOYD    TOVVXSHIP. 

This  township  is  the   full  congressional  township   15.   range  3.   and  is 
bounded  on  the  north  bv  Jackson  township,  on  the  east  by  Hendricks  county. 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  l6j 

on  the  south  by  Marion,  and  on  the  west  by  Monroe  township.  The  soil  is 
good  and  compares  favorably  with  the  best  townships  of  the  county.  Its 
surface  is  rolhng,  but  becomes  broken  along  the  streams,  which  are  Walnut 
fork  of  Eel  river,  Warford's  fork,  Monachal's  fork  and  their  branches,  all 
running  in  a  southwest  direction.  The  valuable  timber  of  this  township 
consists  of  poplar,  walnut,  oak.  maple,  ash,  elm  and  hickory.  Tl  most 
peculiar  feature  of  the  county  is  the  sandy  ridge  in  this  township.  It  e.xtends 
north  and  south  a  distance  of  three  miles,  at  an  elevation  of  forty  feet  above 
the  surrounding  level.  The  composition  is  of  sand  and  gravel,  and  is  en- 
tirely different  from  any  other  geological  deposit  in  the  vicinity. 

The  first  settler  was  Joseph  W.  Warford,  who  located  on  section  33 
in  the  year  182 1.  In  1822  came  Wilson  L.  Warford,  Washington  Weather- 
ford.  Readie  Akers,  Isaac  Monnett,  Lawson  Monnett  and  Reuben  Smith. 
During  the  year  1823  Thomas  Purcell,  Cuthbert  Daniels,  William  Aldridge, 
Thomas  Higgins  and  Harrison  Monnett  became  pioneers  of  the  township. 
From  1824  to  1826  came  G.  Xorrill,  Zachariah  Melton,  Mr.  Rowlett,  Wil- 
liam Collings,  S.  Collings,  Har\ey  CoUings,  .-\.  L.  Collings,  Abraham  Wise 
and  his  sons  San  ford  and  Shadrach  Wise.  The  years  from  1827  to  1830 
brought  George  Monachal,  Anderson  B.  Matthews  and  his  father-in-law,  John 
Heavin.  A.  Pickett.  William  and  Aquila  Pickett,  J.  M.  and  H.  B.  Pickett. 
Isaac  Yates,  Mr.  Howard.  Thomas  Ogle,  Joseph  E\'ans,  William  Arnold, 
James  Miller.  J.  Kinder,  Moses  Lewis,  E.  Tarburton,  J.  L.  Bird,  J.  C.  Wil- 
son. I.  J.  Wilson.  A.  Wilson,  L.  Gibson.  J.  Westhart,  J.  Kurtz  and  William 
Todd.  The  ne.xt  three  years  witnessed  the  arrival  of  John  Gregory.  Doctor 
Stadley,  Jacob  McVey,  Jacob  Hoffman,  Cooper  Wilson,  James  Robinson. 
Dr.  Josias  H.  Robinson,  John  H.  Herod,  Charles  Hunter,  Thomas  Ellis, 
Lewis  Ellis  and  James  Ellis.  Between  1834  and  1839,  Joshua  Iddings,  .Archi- 
bald ?vliller,  John  Craver,  Martin  and  Enoch  Wright,  Thomas  Job.  Henry 
Wain.  Thomas  Randall.  John  Millman,  Levi  Owen,  James  Shoemaker,  George 
Hansell.  Elijah  Wilkinson,  Samuel  Shinn,  John  Shinn,  Jacob  Millman, 
Stephen  Brown,  \\'esley  Figg,  J.  W.  Chatham.  Thomas  Job,  son  of  Samuel 
J(il).  Harrison  Monnett.  Sanford  Wise.  Harvey  Collings,  William  Todd. 
Susan  Hunter,  Delphia  Busby,  Francis  Hughes,  Joshua  Iddings,  Stephen 
Brown,  Archibald  Miller.  Wesley  Figg.  J.  W.  Chatham  and  Sarah  Ellis  and 
Thomas  Job. 

The  first  marriage  in  Floyd  was  that  of  Wilson  L.  Warford  and  Nancy 
Monnett.  daughter  of  Isaac  Monnett.  This  occurred  in  1823:  and  an  inci- 
dent in  connection  with  the  wedding  that  is  worthy  of  recording  was  that  the 
fainilv  had  no  Hour  to  make  bread,  and  therefore  the  feasi  had  to  he  en- 


1 68  weik's  history  of 

joyed  without  that  necessary  article  of  food.  Deha  W'arford.  born  in  18^4, 
was  the  first  white  child  born  in  that  township.  The  first  who  died  was  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Warford,  in  1822.  She  was  buried  on  the  home  fann, 
once  owned  by  Vincent  Day.  This  was  the  first  grave-yard  in  the  township, 
but  it  has  not  been  used  for  many  years.  The  first  sawmill  was  built  bv  An- 
derson B.  Matthews,  on  section  2i3-  in  the  year  1829.  Within  the  ne.xt  year 
he  added  a  grist-mill.  These  were  water  mills,  and  stood  on  Warford's  fork. 
Mr.  Ogle  built  a  saw  and  grist-mill  on  Walnut,  in  this  township,  in  the  year 
1834  or  1835.  William  Arnold,  who  had  a  shop  in  section  20,  in  1828,  was 
the  first  blacksmith.  Dr.  William  Matthews,  son  of  Anderson  B.  Matthews, 
was  the  first  resident  physician  in  Floyd.  He  located  in  the  south  part  of  the 
township,  and  became  quite  a  noted  man  in  his  profession.  The  Doctor  was 
author  of  several  medical  works  and  correspondent  of  some  leading  journals 
in  the  country.  At  a  later  day,  he  remo\ed  to  Mason.  Effingham  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  died  some  years  ago. 

In  the  year  1838  John  Millman.  Sr.,  erected  on  section  26  a  factory  for 
the  manufacture  of  fur  and  wool  hats,  in  which  he  continued  to  carry  on  busi- 
ness until  the  year  1863,  a  period  of  just  a  quarter  of  a  century.  During  this 
time  he  manufactured  hats  by  the  hundred  and  by  the  thousand,  and  hauled 
them  in  wagon  loads  to  neighboring  counties  where  they  were  exchanged 
for  furs  and  pelts.  He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany, and  collected  furs  in  large  quantities,  which  he  hauled  in  wagons  to 
the  company's  depot  at  Detroit,  Michigan.  Mr.  Millman  was  a  man  of  great 
experience  in  his  business,  and  a  splendid  workman,  having  produced  from 
his  factory  hats  which  were  worn  for  thirteen  years  in  succession.  It  was  a 
claim  of  the  old  gentleman  that  he  made  the  first  hat  ever  worn  by  Bishop 
Simpson  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The  last  hats  he  manufactured 
were  sent  to  Scottsboro.  Tennessee,  during  the  Civil  war.  to  be  worn  bv  the 
Union  soldiers.  This  old  pioneer  was  a  great  lover  of  his  countr\-.  having 
sent  three  sons  to  the  Mexican  war.  and  five  to  the  Union  army  in  1861.  He 
died  in  the  centennial  year,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  and  was  buried  in 
sight  of  his  factory. 

Andrew  B.  Matthews  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace,  holding  the 
office  in  1828.  and  continuing  in  the  same  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
ser\ed  for  a  number  of  years  as  president  of  the  county  board  of  magi.strates. 

Daniel  Anderson  preached  the  first  sermon  in  this  township,  in  the  year 
1822  or  1823.  at  the  house  of  Joseph  Warford,  which  was  a  place  of  worship 
for  a  number  of  years.  These  meetings  were  held  by  the  }ifethoitist>.  who 
at  an  early  day  built  "Wesley  Chapel"  and  "Pleasant  Grove."     Their  first 


PUTNA\t    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  169 

minister  was  followed  by  S.  Otwell.  William  H.  Smith,  Lorenzo  Dow,  Mr. 
Grimes,  A.  L.  Collings,  H.  Collings,  Isaac  Owen,  Mr.  Cord  and  Matthew 
Simpson,  with  probably  others  worthy  of  record,  if  their  names  could  be 
recalled. 

The  Protestant  Methodists,  under  the  leadership  of  Harvey  Collings, 
organized,  and  now  have  two  churches  in  the  township. 

The  first  Sabbath  school  was  organized  in  1844.  by  Harvey  Collings. 

The  history  of  the  Regular  Baptists,  in  Floyd,  dates  from  the  year 
1S26,  in  which  they  formed  a  society  and  built  a  house  of  worship  called 
Enon.  the  same  being  the  first  structure  of  the  kind  in  the  township.  They 
also  built  the  second  church  in  the  township  and  named  it  Palestine.  This 
denomination  now  has  here  three  houses  of  worship.  Charles  and  Carter 
Hunter,  of  Marion  tow-nship,  preached  the  first  Baptist  sermons  in  Floyd 
in  the  year  1826.  They  were  followed  by  J.  Cost,  Spencer  Collings  and 
Thomas  Broadstreet,  who  rank  among  the  early  Baptist  ministers  of  this 
part  of  the  county. 

The  Cumberland  Presbyterians  have  a  church  in  this  township,  though 
their  organization  is  of  later  date. 

The  village  of  Groveland,  situated  on  sections  2  and  3,  was  laid  out  by 
Benjamin  F.  and  Daniel  Summers,  March  18,  1854. 

The  following  postmasters  have  served  at  Groveland :  Henry  B.  Pick- 
ett, July  19,  1852;  D.  T.  Summers,  June  21,  1854;  Benjamin  I.  Summers, 
Xovember  18,  1858:  Wilson  Fisher.  June  8,  1859;  J.  W.  Hanna,  December 
II.  i860;  Weakly  Mason.  October  18,  1861  ;  Elias  Horner,  April  30,  1862; 
Salmon  Hall,  March  25.  1865:  James  Turner.  December  26,  1876;  S.  M. 
Comer.  July  5,  1878:  Tames  Turner,  January  26,  1880;  Jonathan  Owens. 
July  10.  1885;  W.  M.  Owens.  April  17.  1888:  William  A.  Wood,  May  31. 
1889;  Joseph  E.  Graham.  October  26,  1891 ;  discontinued  February  14,  1905. 

MARIO.V    TOWNSHIP. 

Marion  township  lies  ininiecliate!\'  south  of  Floyd,  and  is  the  full  con- 
gressional township  14,  north,  range  3  west.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Floyd  township,  on  the  east  by  Hendricks  county  and  Mill  Creek  township, 
on  the  south  by  Jefiferson  township,  and  on  the  west  by  Greencastle  township. 
Its  surface  is  gently  rolling:  the  soil  good,  and  finely  adapted  to  cultivation. 
The  supply  of  timber  was  at  one  time  abundant,  consisting  of  poplar,  walnut, 
white,  red  and  burr  oak.  hard  maple,  beech,  ash.  and  many  inferior  kinds, 
such  as  elm,  gum  and  sycamore,  with  a  plentiful  supply  of  hickorv-  on  the 


IJO  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

more  level  portions.  This  township  is  drained  by  Deer  creek,  that  stream 
having  its  source  in  the  northeast  corner  and  traversing  the  entire  extent 
of  the  township  to  the  southwest  comer,  where  it  takes  its  leave  on  section  31. 
The  first  settler  in  Marion  township  was  Reuben  Ragan,  w-ho  first  came 
to  the  county  in  the  year  181 8  and  prospected  the  country  comprising  Put- 
nam and  surrounding  counties  during  that  and  the  following  year.  He  then 
returned  to  the  state  of  Kentucky,  whence  he  again  came  to  Putnam  in  the 
spring  of  1820,  staying  two  years  in  Greencastle  township,  west  of  the  city. 
He  entered  land  in  the  extreme  north  of  Marion  township  in  1822,  and  be- 
came a  permanent  resident  there  in  October  of  the  same  year,  continuing 
to  make  that  his  home  until  the  date  of  his  death,  August  19,  1869. 

In  October  of  the  year  1824  Mr.  Rag?n  built  a  hewed-log  house,  which, 
having  been  w^eather-boarded  and  plastered,  now  forms  the  front  portion 
of  the  family  residence,  and  is  the  oldest  building  in  Putnam  county,  having 
been  in  use  as  a  dwelling  for  more  than  eighty-five  years.  Like  all  of  the 
builder's  works,  it  was  well  done,  and  it  still  stands  firm,  with  the  probabil- 
ity of  still  withstanding  the  shocks  of  time  for  years  to  come.  Mr.  Ragan 
was  a  noted  horticulturist  and  possessed  a  fine  talent  for  his  occupation. 
He  sowed  seeds  for  an  orchard  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Thomas,  west  of  Green- 
castle, in  the  spring  of  1820,  which  were,  doubtless,  the  first  seeds  of  the 
kind  to  take  root  in  the  soil  of  Putnam  county.  A  few  years  later  he  planted 
the  first  orchard  in  Marion  township.  He  is  still  remembered  by  his  neigh- 
bors as  a  man  of  vigorous  intellect,  pure  mind  and  unscrupulously  honest 
and  upright  in  all  his  dealings. 

From  the  time  of  Mr.  Pagan's  settlement  in  the  township  to  1824 
he  was  joined  by  Judge  Smith,  Henry  Wood,  Mr.  Davis,  John  Smith,  Silas 
Hopkins  and  Samuel  Hazelett.  In  the  years  1825  and  1826  came  William 
Bell,  John  Denny,  William  and  James  Smith,  Bryce  Miller,  Isaac  and 
George  Legg,  Jeremiah  Nichols,  Charles  and  Carter  Hunter,  Israel  Moss, 
John  Gregorv,  James  and  William  Denny.  Mr.  Acres,  Enoch  Stone,  William 
Nicholson  and  Thomas  Jackson.  Within  the  next  two  years  the  population 
was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  David  Wise,  Henry  Hunter,  Bailey  O'Neal, 
Daniel  Chadd.  John  Benefield,  John  and  James  Agee,  Daniel  Brewer,  Charles 
Knetzer,  Jacob  Shoptaugh,  Eli  Fry,  Henry  Keller,  Peter  Lunsford,  Daniel 
Bridge  water.  The  newcomers  for  the  years  1829  and  1830  were  Alexander 
Gorham,  Ambrose  Day,  Thomas  Jackson,  Sr.,  William  Frazier,  John  Run- 
yan,  Isaac  Hope,  Joseph  Ellis,  Anselm  Mason,  Henry  Shields,  Samuel 
Reeves.  There  probably  were  others  equally  worthy  of  mention.  Some  of 
these  here  named  entered  land,  and,  perhaps,  lived  near  Greencastle  before 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA. 


171 


settling  in   what   now   comprises    Marion    township.      Nearly   all   have    left 
here  large  families,  who  inherit  the  blessings  of  their  labors. 

Among  the  old  settlers  who  have  died  within  the  past  thirty  vears  were 
John  Smith,  familiarly  known  as  "Uncle  Jackey,"  Thomas  Jackson.  Mrs. 
Reuben  Ragan.  .Mrs.  Catherine  Smith.  Mrs.  Henry  Hunter.  Mrs.  James 
Denny.  .Afrs.  Willoughby  Leachman.  Samuel  Hazelett.  who  lived  near 
Stilesville.  and  Daniel  Brewer,  at  Coatsville.  The  last  named  was  born 
m  Holland  on  August  31,  1782.  and  came  to  Kentucky  when  two  years  old. 
From  that  state  he  removed  to  Putnam  county,  where  he  lived  until  almost 
a  hundred  years  old. 

On  December  18,  1824,  Arthur  A.,  the  son  of  John  Denny,  was  born, 
being  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  township.  Mr.  Denny  in  1850  moved 
to  the  Pacific  coast  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  citv  of  Seattle.  He 
represented  Washington  Territory  in  Congress  in  1865-67.  The  ne.xt  birth 
in  the  township  was  that  of  America,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  Hazlett,  De- 
cember 24.  1824.     She  is  still  living  and  has  never  married. 

The  marriage  of  John  Smith,  son  of  John  Smith,  and  Miss  Willie 
Smith,  daughter  of  Judge  Smith,  was  the  first  that  occurred  in  the  town- 
ship. The  first  grist-mill  in  the  township  was  that  built  on  Deer  creek  by 
Samuel  Hazlett  as  early  at  1826.  It  stood  on  section  17.  It  was  in  1854 
that  .Mien  Burk  put  up  his  horse-mill.  James  Agee.  who.  in  1828.  had' a 
shop  in  section  20,  was  the  first  blacksmith.  Shortly  after  Agee  came  Isaac 
Hope,  who  erected  a  shop  near  the  old  family  residence  in  section  12.  The 
first  store  was  kept  by  Ahijah  Robinson  at  Nicholsonville  about  1845.  The 
first  postofiice  was  also  kept  by  Mr.  Robinson  at  the  same  place.  It  was 
afterward  removed  to  Fillmore,  but  for  several  years  thereafter  retained 
its  original  name  of  Nicholsonville.  William  C.  Hopwood  was  the  first 
resident  physician.  He  located  in  Fillmore  in  1853.  John  Dennv  was  the 
first  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  followed  by  his  brother.  James  Denny, 
who  held  the  office  for  fourteen  consecutive  years.  Then  came  Tames  Mc- 
Achran.  James  Sill.  R.  M.  Hazelett  and  Jacob  P.  Cox  and  their 'successors. 

The  Regular  Baptist  church  was  the  first  organized  in  the  township. 
This  was  done  November  25,  1826.  at  the  house  of  William  Denny,  bv 
Charles  and  Carter  Hunter  and  wives,  Thomas  Broadstreet.  Enoch  Stone  and 
wife.  William  Nicholson  and  wife,  and  Isaac  Monnett.  They  finallv  built 
a  house  of  worship  on  the  farm  of  Carter  Hunter.  The  Missionary  Bap- 
tists were  organized  about  1841.  Elders  Jones  and  Arnold  were  among  their 
first  preachers.  They  have  a  good  frame  church,  called  Bethel,  two  and  one- 
half  miles  .southeast  of  Fillmore.     The  first  meetings  of  the  Christian  church 


172  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

were  held  at  the  houses  of  Charles  Knetzer  and  Ambrose  Day.  This  was 
before  the  organization  of  the  church,  which  took  place  about  1839,  and  a 
building,  known  as  Old  Union,  was  erected  on  the  farm  of  Ambrose  Day 
in  1840.  John  M.  Harris  was  their  first  preacher,  followed  by  James  M. 
^Mathews.  Gilbert  Harney.  Xathan  Waters,  O.  P.  Badger.  Chatterton.  James 
and  Perry  Blankinship.  Cooms.  as  well  as  many  others.  They  have  a 
church  in  Fillmore,  which  was  erected  soon  after  the  town  was  laid  out. 
The  Methodists  organized  a  church  at  what  was  called  "Denny's  School- 
house,"  at  a  very  early  date.  John  Denny  was  an  active,  zealous  member 
of  this  congregation,  and  it  became  quite  a  flourishing  church.  In  1838 
meetings  were  held  at  the  houses  of  Matthew  Brann  and  others.  Rev.  Owen 
Owen.  Davis.  Hancock.  Forbes,  President  Simpson  and  Prof  Cyrus  Xutt 
were  the  first  preachers  of  this  organization.  The  first  Methodist  church 
was  built  on  section  16.  and  called  Mount  Carmel.  After  the  building  of 
the  new  church  in  Fillmore.  Mount  Carmel  was  given  or  sold  to  the  Regular 
Baptists.  Soon  after  the  erection  of  Mount  Carmel,  another  Methodist 
church,  named  Liberty,  was  built  on  the  farm  of  Abbott  Robinson,  in  sec- 
tion II.  This  building  remained  until  the  congregation  erected  an  elegant 
frame  building,  in  1871,  on  a  lot  given  for  that  purpose  by  Morris  Oliver. 

Fillmore,  the  only  village  in  the  township,  is  on  the  Terre  Haute  & 
Indianapolis  railroad,  six  miles  northeast  of  Greencastle.  It  was  laid  out 
in  1852  by  Benjamin  Nicholson,  James  Sill  and  Leonard  C.  Catterlin,  on 
land  then  owned  by  them,  but  formerly  forming  a  part  of  Richard  Sinclair's 
fami. 

The  first  store  in  the  town  was  kept  by  Hardin  &  Brown  in  1852.  fol- 
lowed bv  Benjamin  Xicholson,  Hardin  Wilcox  and  Moses  T.  Bridges,  gen- 
eral dealers,  and  William  D.  Smith,  who  kept  a  grocery  and  provision 
store.  Mr.  Bridges  did  verj-  much  toward  building  up  the  town,  having 
erected  a  hotel  and  in  many  other  ways  added  to  its  prosperity. 

There  are  also  two  churches,  one  Christian,  the  other  Methodist.  The 
Missionarv  Baptists  formerly  had  a  church  at  Fillmore.  The  building  is 
now  used  as  a  school  house. 

At  Fillmore  the  following  postmasters  have  served :  William  Matthews. 
August  10.  1848;  Abijah  Robinson.  November  19.  1849;  H.  H.  Wilcox. 
March  19.  1852:  ?vIoses  T.  Bridges.  January  21,  1854;  John  W.  Pierson. 
September  11,  1861;  John  W.  Pierson.  December  5,  1861 :  C.  A.  Matthews. 
Tune  12.  1863:  John  A.  Dicks,  September  24,  1864;  Thomas  J.  Siddens,  Jan- 
uary 18,  1867:  Elizabeth  Welch.  July  10,  1867;  Greenberry  Prather,  Sep- 
tember 13.  1871  :  Elizabeth  Nicholson.  May  10,  1872:  M.  A.  Brown.  June  2. 


PUTNAM    COL'N'TY.    IXDIAXA.  I J3 

1873;  C.  B.  McNary,  March  4,  1874:  M.  A.  Brann,  September  14,  1875; 
M.  H.  Reilly,  March  21,  1881  ;  A.  E.  Robinson,  October  18,  1883;  M.  H. 
Reilly,  March  7,  1884;  Harry  McNary,  May  25,  1885;  Julia  E.  Robinson, 
April  29,  1901. 

Bryce  W.  Miller  taught  the  first  school  in  the  township,  at  his  own 
cabin.  He  afterward  taugiit  at  the  neighbors'  houses — a  favorite  place  bein<y 
at  John  Smith's  in  what  was  called  a  three-faced  camp,  open  in  front  and 
built  up  with  logs  on  the  other  three  sides.  This  stood  on  section  16.  The 
next  was  a  three-months  school,  taught  by  Alfred  Burton,  in  a  log  cabin 
in  section  29.  that  some  one  had  built  for  a  dwelling  and  then  deserted.  This 
school  was  broken  up  by  a  man  named  Nat  Hammond,  who,  becoming  dis- 
satisfied with  the  school,  went  one  night  and  pried  down  the  chimney.  The 
first  school  building  was  erected  on  the  farm  of  John  Denny,  in  section  28. 
about  the  year  1828,  and  was  known  as  "Denny's  Schoolhouse."  John 
Evans  taught  the  first  school  in  this  house.  He  was  followed  by  Lawson  D. 
Sims  and  Thomas  C.  Duckworth,  who  taught  the  first  "six-months  school" 
in  the  township.  The  township  is  now  well  supplied  with  good  schools 
and  education  is  in  the  ascendency. 

GREEXCASTLE    TOWXSHIP. 

Greencastle  township  is  the  central  one  of  the  county,  exactly  coincid- 
ing with  congressional  township  14,  range  4,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Monroe,  on  the  east  by  Marion,  on  the  south  by  Warren,  and  on  the  west 
by  Madison.  The  surface  of  the  township  is  generally  rolling,  thou^-h 
some  parts  along  Walnut  are  broken  and  some  in  the  eastern  portion  are 
flat.  The  soil  is  good  and  finely  adapted  for  all  kinds  of  agricultural  pur- 
suits suitable  to  its  latitude.  The  creek  bottoms  are  especiallv  productive. 
It  was  originally  covered  with  an  abundant  growth  of  as  fine  tim'uer  as 
could  be  found  in  any  part  of  the  country.  This  consisted  of  the  kinds 
common  to  such  soil.  The  yellow  poplar  and  the  black  walnut  were  espe- 
cially attractive.  With  these  were  the  other  kinds  common  throughout  the 
county. 

The  township  is  drained  by  Big  Walnut,  which  crosses  it  diaCTonallv 
from  northeast  to  southwest,  running  to  the  north  and  west  of  Greencastle. 
A  heavy  and  valuable  bed  of  limestone  underlies  the  entire  township,  o-jy- 
ing  character  to  its  topography.  The  township  was  one  of  the  first  settled 
and  is  finely  improved.  Enjoying  the  location  of  the  countv  seat  near  its 
center,  it  has  special  facilities  for  the  development  of  its  natural  resources 


174  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

Greencastle  township  was  settled  in  1821,  by  John  Sigler,  Thomas 
Johnson,  John  Miller.  Benjamin  Jones,  Silas  G.  Weeks,  Jubal  Deweese, 
Amos  Robertson,  John  F.  Seller,  David  Deweese,  Jefferson  Thomas, 
Thomas  Deweese  and  Samuel  Rogers.  In  1822  and  1823  came  Abraham 
Coffman,  Solomon  Coffman,  Isaac  Legg,  Col.  Lewis  H.  Sands,  Gen.  Joseph 
Orr,  James  Talbott,  Amasa  Johnson,  Robert  Glidewell,  P.  S.  Wilson,  Eph- 
raim  Dukes,  John  W.  Clark,  William  B.  Gwathney.  Michael  Wilson,  John 
Butcher,  ^lasten  and  Spencer  Hunter,  William  Talbott.  Col.  Daniel  Sigler, 
Lawson  D.  Sims.  Matthew  Legg.  Rev.  John  Oatman,  Joshua  H.  Lucas, 
Greenberry  Mulinix.  Joseph  Thornburg.  Arthur  Mahorney,  Jacob  Butcher, 
Robert  Catterlin,  James  Trotter,  Elisha  King.  Samuel  D.  Chipman,  Arthur 
McGaughey,  Reese  Hardesty,  Col.  Mathew  W.  Bussey.  Jesse  Neese,  Henry 
Canote,  John  Lynch.  Thomas  Jackson,  Noble  Meyers,  John  McNary,  James 
Allen,  Lewis  Gibson,  Solomon  Tucker,  Jesse  Purcell,  Daniel  and  Samuel 
Chadd.  John  Peck,  Hiram  Catterlin,  Samuel  Hunter,  Edgar  Thomas.  James 
Duffield.  Mr.  Devoor,  the  Wrights,  Joseph  Thornberry,  John  and  Benjamin 
Cunningham,  and  their  father.  During  the  years  1824  and  1825.  George 
Secrest.  Clark  Burlingame  (a  Revolutionary  soldier),  and  his  sons.  Abel 
and  Spencer  Burlingame.  Gen.  John  Standeford.  James  Moore.  James  Day, 
Dr.  Enos  Lowe.  John  Gregory.  Joseph  F.  Farley,  George  F.  Waterman, 
Thomas  Johnson,  John  Lockhart.  and  William  Peck  became  citizens  of  the 
township.  The  next  two  years  brought  Isaac  Ash.  John  S.  Jennings. 
Ephraim  Blain,  Dr.  A.  C.  Stevenson,  Dr.  L.  M.  Knight.  Col.  John  R.  Mahan, 
Isaac  iVIahan,  Lawson  Seybold.  John  Hammond.  John  Cowgill.  Peter 
Rowlett.  William  Holland.  Philip  Carpenter,  Elisha  Knight.  John  Knight 
and  Wesley  Knight,  and  perhaps  many  others  whose  names  are  lost  among 
the  increasing  multitude  who  were  rapidly  filling  the  countr\-. 

The  histon,-  of  Greencastle  township  is  so  intimately  involved  with  that 
of  the  county  and  of  the  city  of  Greencastle,  that  but  little  remains  to  be 
told.  The  first  births  and  deaths,  the  first  physicians  and  ministers,  the 
first  business  enterprises  and  the  organization  of  the  religious  denominations, 
the  building  of  the  first  mills  and  factories  are  mentioned  elsewhere. 

The  postoffice  at  Greencastle  was  established  March  18.  1821.  and  Joshua 
H.  Lucas  was  appointed  postmaster.  His  successors  were  appointed  and 
served  as  follows:  Lewis  H.  Sands.  November  20.  1826;  James  Talbott, 
June  19,  1840;  James  Jones.  June  8.  1849;  John  Standeford,  May  i,  1850: 
James  Jones,  August  17.  1850;  Henry  W.  Daniels.  June  15,  1853:  Edward 
R.  Kercheval.  March  13.  1856;  Christopher  W.  Brown.  March  19.  i86r ; 
Edward  R.  Kercheval.  M^y  12.   1865:  John  Osborn,  July  12.  1866;  George 


PUTXAM    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  1/5 

J.  Langsdale,  June  24,  1874;  Willis  G.  Nefif,  March  29,  1885;  James  McD. 
Hays,  May  21.  1889;  Willis  G.  Neff,  February  7,  1894:  Lucius  P.  Chapin, 
Februan,-  12.  1898:  John  G.  Dunbar,  February-  3,  1902;  Albert  O.  Lock- 
ridge,  March  22.  1910. 

The  first  tannery  was  kept  by  Walter  and  Rosea  Wright,  who  were  fol- 
lowed by  the  Gillespies,  Milton  F.  Barlow  w-as  the  first  hatter.  Arthur 
Mahorney  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace.  Other  early  justices  were  Isaac 
Mahan.  David  Dudley,  Reese  Hardesty,  John  Cowgill,  James  M.  Grooms. 
Samuel  Taylor.  Joseph  F.  Farley.  John  T.  Taylor  and  Wesley  White.  The 
first  constable  was  John  Lynch,  who  held  the  office  for  many  years.  Even 
some  of  the  younger  portions  of  the  community  can  remember  he  still  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  that  office  with  promptness  and  energ>-.  though  bearing 
the  weight  of  many  years. 

There  are  many  improved  roads  through  the  townships  connecting 
Greencastle  with  different  portions  of  the  country,  and  affording  the  farmers 
easy  access  to  market,  and  along  these  at  various  points  are  to  be  seen  many 
splendid  farm  residences  displaying  taste  and  liberality  on  the  part  of  their 
owners. 

The  farmers  of  the  township  are  largely  engaged  in  raising  livestock, 
and  in  their  fields  and  stalls  are  to  be  found  some  of  the  finest  animals  in  the 
state. 

The  village  called  Limedale  is  at  the  crossing  of  the  Terre  Haute  &  Indi- 
anapolis railroad  and  the  Louisville.  New  Albany  &  Chicago  (or  Monon) 
road,  and  is  located  on  section  29.  Greencastle  township,  two  miles  south- 
west of  the  court  house.  It  was  laid  out  in  1864,  by  William  Stegg  and 
surveved  by  William  H.  Shields. 

At  Limedale  the  following  postmasters  served :  Alpheus  Morris.  De- 
cember 16.  1873:  William  Berigan.  Jr.,  June  12.  1877;  William  J.  Steeg. 
February  is.   1878.     The  postoffice  was  discontinued  on  October  30.   1909. 

In  the  vear  1856  a  lime  and  stone  quarrv-  was  opened  at  the  Junction 
by  Hellens.  Butcher  &  Stegg,  and  carried  on  extensively,  shipping  stone  and 
lime  to  the  value  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  per  annum.  It  is  now  the 
property  of  William  Stegg's  heirs. 

M.\DIS0N   TOWNSHIP. 

Madison  township  is  formed  of  the  congressional  township  14,  range  5. 
and  lies  immediately  west  of  Greencastle.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Clinton,  on  the  south  by  Washington  township  and  on  the  west  by  Parke 


lyS  weik's  history  of 

countv.  It  is  drained  by  Little  Walnut,  along  which  the  township  is  con- 
siderably broken.  The  timber  and  the  soil  of  this  township  are  similar  to 
those  of  the  adjoining  townships. 

The  exact  date  at  which  the  pioneers  of  this  township  came  can  not  now 
be  given.  The  first  piece  of  land  entered  in  the  township  was  by  Richard 
Moore,  December  13.  1821 ;  the  third  was  by  Benjamin  Bell,  April  2.  1821  ; 
and.  in  order  of  time,  Isaac  Wolverton,  April  12,  1821;  Isaac  Matkins,  De- 
cember 20,  1821.  Among  those  who  made  entries  here  in  1822  may  be 
named  Frederick  Leatherman,  Samuel  Wright.  Isaiah  Wright.  Benjamin 
Wright,  Jesse  Wright,  John  Dougherty,  Jesse  Oatman,  Jacob  Curtis  and 
Henry  Williams.  In  1823  Joseph  Thornburg,  Abraham  Wooley  and  George 
Hansel  entered  land  in  this  township.  Other  early  settlers  of  the  township 
were  Peter  Stoner,  Levi  Mann.  John  Anderson,  Andrew  Frank,  Amos 
Wright.  William  Torr,  John  McPheeters  and  his  father.  James  S  win  ford. 
John  Swinford,  Jesse  Latham,  William  P.  King.  Mr.  Albaugh  and  Rowley. 
Some  of  these  may  have  settled  earlier  than  those  whose  entries  are  given 
above. 

The  following  named  were  among  the  oldest  settlers  living  in  1880:  John 
Leatherman,  Jesse  McPheeters,  Joseph  Wells,  who  served  on  the  first  grand 
jury  in  the  county,  James  Torr.  Sr..  Joseph  Grubbs  and  Joseph  Brubaker. 

The  first  death  in  Madison  township  was  that  of  George  W.  Matkins, 
son  of  Isaac  and  Sophia  Matkins:  and  the  first  birth  was  that  of  John 
Thomas  ]\Iatkins.  son  of  the  same  parents. 

The  first  school  was  taught  by  Peter  Garr  about  half  a  mile  north  of 
where  Jesse  McPheeters  fonnerly  lived. 

The  first  mill  in  the  township  was  built  by  Benjamin  Bell  on  the  Walnut 
fork  of  the  Eel  river.  It  was  sold  in  a  few  years  to  James  Townsend.  who 
laid  out  Putnamville. 

The  Predestinarian  Baptists  organized  the  first  church  in  Madison  town- 
ship about  the  year  1S32.  This  took  place  in  the  woods  near  where  John 
Leatherman  now  resides.  About  a  year  afterward,  this  congregation  built 
a  lo?  house  in  which  they  worshipped  for  near  a  score  of  years,  and  then 
Iniilt  a  second  log  house,  which  they  occupied  until  about  thirty-five  years  ago, 
when  they  replaced  it  with  a  substantial  frame  building.  Among  the  early 
ministers  of  this  church  were  Benjamin  Parks.  Aaron  Harlan.  James 
Edwards.  Reuben  Slavens.  Abraham  Leatherman  and  John  Leathennan. 

About  the  year  1834.  a  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized  at 
the  house  of  Isaac  Matkins.  This  church  was  organized  by  Rev.  William  C. 
Smith,  and  the  first  ([uarterly  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Isaac  Mat- 


PL'TXAM     COLN'TV.    INDIANA.  IJJ 

kins  by  Rev.  Aaron  Wood.  The  congregation  continued  to  hold  services 
regularly  there  for  two  or  three  years,  when  they  built  a  log  house,  which 
they  occupied  until  about  the  year  185S,  and  then  built  a  good  frame  church 
to  take  its  place.  Among  the  other  early  ministers  of  this  church  were  Revs. 
De  Motte.  Beck.  Tanzy,  PVeston.  Wright  and  Fairhurst. 

The  Christian  church  was  organized  about  the  year  of  1840  by  Elder 
Levi  Wright,  who  had  been  preaching  for  the  congregation  for  several 
years  before  this  time  and  continued  to  do  so  for  a  number  of  years  afterward. 
They  erected  a  log  house  in  1844.  which  they  occupied  until  1867.  They 
then  built  a  frame  house  on  the  hill  west  of  Ezekiel  Wrights.  Noah  Bu- 
chanan, John  Harris,  Xathan  Wright.  Lorenzo  Dow,  Cleghorn  and  Ezekiel 
Wright  were  the  early  ministers  of  this  church.  This  church  is  a  very 
thrifty  one,  and  it  has  sent  out  from  its  fold  four  or  ti\e  evangelists  who  are 
doing  acceptable  work  in  the  cause  of  the  Master. 

There  are  three  limestone  quarries  in  this  township.  The  depth  of  the 
deposit  is  about  forty  feet.  The  thickness  of  the  ledges  varies  from  seven 
inches  to  five  feet.  .\t  the  bottom  is  a  bed  of  flint  rock  seven  feet  thick.  In 
the  second  and  third  strata  above  is  a  thickness  of  four  or  four  and  one-half 
feet  of  what  Professor  Co.x.  state  geologist,  describes  as  "fine  textured, 
grayish-white  limestone,  commonly  known  as  lithographic  stone."  In  con- 
nection with  the  quarries  are  three  lime-kilns,  managed  by  the  same  com- 
panies. Of  the  product  of  these  kilns.  Professor  Co.x  says,  "The  lime  is 
remarkably  white  and  pure,  and  belongs  to  the  class  technically  called  'fat 
lime':  that  is.  it  sets  quick  and  is  superior  for  whitewashing  and  also  for 
purifying  coal  gas." 

In  Madison  township  there  have  been  two  postoffices.  Brunerstown  and 
Oakalla.  both  of  which  have  been  discontinued.  The  postmasters  who  served 
at  Brunerstown  were:  Isaiah  Wright,  Xovember  29.  1839:  M.  F.  Wright. 
October  11.  1849;  Coleman  P.  Wright.  February  18.  1850;  William  Lane. 
October  7.  1850;  Solomon  Grifiith.  .April  i.  1851  :  M.  F.  Wright,  August  4. 
1S51:  Watson  Dills,  September  7,  1854:  John  Merrywether.  October  11, 
1854:  M.  F.  Wright.  Xovember  30.  1855:  Peter  Bird.  .April  3.  1857;  Thomas 
Ragle.  -April  2-.  I'^^'J :  Jothum  Hasty.  January  9,  1858:  Samuel  H.  Witt. 
-April  20.  1858.  The  postofiice  was  discontinued  August  8.  1859.  At  Oakalla 
the  following  postmasters  served:  Charles  Eppinghousen.  June  4.  1872; 
Daniel  Weaver.  March  30.  1876:  J.  F.  Burkhart.  July  5,  1878:  William  .A. 
McKee.  .August  21.  1878:  F"ranklin  Harlan.  Februan,-  15.  1881:  James  A. 
Johnston.  July  19.  1882:  E.  B.  Early.  May  31.  1889:  Henry  H.  Hillis.  June 


178 


weik's  history  of 


15,  1889;  T.  D.  Torn  September  12,  1891 ;  John  W.  Stroube,  July  14,  1896; 
Joseph  D.  Torr.  January  22.  1903.  Postoffice  discontinued  November  30, 
1903. 

WASHINGTON  TOWNSHIP. 

Washington,  the  oldest  of  the  townships,  lies  in  the  southwest  corner 
of  Putnam  county,  and  is  composed  of  township  13  and  the  north  half  of 
township  12.  range  5.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  ^Madison  township,  on 
the  east  by  Warren  and  Cloverdale  townships,  on  the  south  by  Clay  and 
Owen  counties,  and  on  the  west  by  Clay  county.  The  surface  of  the  country 
in  this  township  is  rough  and  broken.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  excellent  bot- 
tom land  along  the  streams,  finely  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  corn  and 
other  cereals.  It  was  originally  covered  with  the  same  character  of  timber 
as  was  found  throughout  the  county,  consisting  principally  of  white  oak, 
walnut,  poplar,  beech,  hard  maple,  ash,  hickory  and  sycamore. 

Among  the  early  settlers,  now  deceased,  were  James  Athey,  the  first 
settler  of  the  county,  John  Reel,  John  Horton,  William  Roberts,  John  M. 
Coleman,  Thomas  H.  Clark,  William  K.  Matkins,  Dr.  Lenox  N.  Knight, 
Abraham  Lewis,  William  Brown,  George  Mcintosh,  Randall  Hutchinson,  John 
M.  Purcell,  Samuel  Boone,  Moses  Boone,- William  Seiner,  Samuel  Webster, 
Henr>'   Walden.    Adam   Neff,    Andy    Reel,   William    Reel.    Landon    Davis, 

-  Thomas  Frazier,  Allen  Jones.  George  Rightsell.  William  McCullough,  Philip 
Shrake,  Justice  Goodrich.  Warren  Fellows,  Reuben  Wright,  Luther  Webster, 
James  Bamett.  Silas  Mulinix,  Solomon  Simpson,  Thomas  McCullough,  :\Ir. 
Deweese,  John  Funican,  H.  H.  Athey,  A.  D.  Hamrick,  Daniel  Boone,  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Daniel  Boone,  the  pioneer  of  Kentuck7,  Volney  Smith, 
Edward  Huffman.  Christopher  Crable,  John  Friend.  William  Risler.  William 

-  McCullough.  Daniel  Zaring,  Sr.,  David  Jones,  David  Sublett  and  the  Right- 
sells. 

The  first  house  in  the  township,  that  of  James  Athey,  erected  in  the 
winter  of  1818-19.  stood  ven,^  near  the  site  of  Robert  Huffman's  residence. 
The  first  mill  in  the  township  was  that  of  Luther  Webster.  It  stood  on  Deer 
creek,  about  one- fourth  of  a  mile  south  of  Manhattan.  Lloyd  B.  Harris 
kept  the  first  hotel  in  the  township,  at  Manhattan.  Thomas  H.  Clark  was  the 
first  postmaster.  The  first  shoemaker  was  Thomas  Lewis.  The  honor  of 
carrying  on  the  first  blacksmith  shop  belongs  to  John  Hooton.  Esquires 
Busick'and  Athey  were  among  the  first  justices  of  the  peace  in  the  town- 
ship.   It  is  worthv  of  note  that  Thomas  McCullough  was  the  tallest  man  that 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  1 79 

e\er  lived  in  the  township.  He  was  almost  seven  feet  high,  symmetrically  pro- 
portioned, and  of  great  physical  power. 

The  first  church  organized  in  the  township  was  the  Predestinarian  Bap- 
tist, commonly  called  "Hard-Shell  Baptist."  It  was  organized  at  Manhattan, 
in  the  year  1828.  bv  Rev.  Isaac  Denman,  who  continued  to  preach  for  the  con- 
gregation for  a  period  of  two  decades.  A  house  of  worship  was  built  at 
an  early  day,  which  continued  to  be  occupied  by  the  original  owners  until  the 
year  1862.  when  it  was  sold  to  the  Missionary  Baptists.  They  in  turn  sold 
it.  in  the  year  1875.  to  the  Methodists,  who  fonned  a  congregation  there 
about  that  time.  The  Methodists  erected  a  new  house  on  the  same  lot,  but 
the  old  one  stood  until  pulled  down  in  the  summer  of  1878,  having  served 
as  a  place  of  worship  for  nearly  half  a  centur}'. 

The  Christian  church  was  established  in  Manhattan,  in  the  year  1838-, 
by  Elder  John  Harris,  and  it  has  ever  since  had  a  congregation  at  that 
place. 

Manhattan  is  the  oldest  village  in  the  township,  having  been  laid  out 
in  the  year  1S29  on  the  National  road,  by  John  M.  Coleman  and  Thomas 
H.  Clark.  The  first  merchant  there  was  Wilson  Devore.  Dr.  Leno.x  N.  Knight 
was  the  first  practicing  physician.  Mrs.  Judge  Clark  taught  the  first  .school. 
The  first  justice  of  the  peace  at  that  place  was  Lloyd  Harris. 

At  Manhattan  the  following  postmasters  have  served :  Thomas  H. 
Clark,  March  13,  1830;  John  M- Coleman,  February  i,  1841 ;  Samuel  M. 
Coleman.  May  31,  1841 ;  Abraham  Jackson,  October  3,  1843;  Volney  Smith, 
June  21,  1847;  Charles  Hawley,  June  8,  1849;  Volney  Smith,  December  10, 
1849;  Jesse  Jenkins,  September  27,  1850;  Samuel  B.  Gilmore,  January  15, 
1859;  C.  F.  Knapp,  January  13,  1862;  William  R.  Stone,  November  3,  1863; 
Volney  Smith,  February  21,  1865;  Charles  D.  Smith,  April  10,  1871  ;  Volney 
Smith,  October  3,  1884;  John  Gammie,  May  27,  1885;  S.  S.  McCoy,  May  3, 
1889:  A.  J.  .Albright,  May  24,  1893;  Samuel  S.  McCoy,  November  20,  1897; 
discontinued  October  31,  1905. 

Pleasant  Garden  was  laid  out  in  section  21,  in  the  year  1830.  by  John 
Matkins,  as  a  rival  of  Manhattan. 

Reelsville  was  laid  out  by  John  Reel,  on  the  Terre  Haute  &  Indianapolis 
railroad,  in  the  year  1852.    It  is  now  quite  a  flourishing  village. 

The  postmasters  at  Reelsville  have  been:  William  A.  L.  Reel,  May  11, 
1852;  John  Reel,  December  8,  1854;  John  Caltharp,  January  20,  1858:  Wil- 
liam A.  L.  Reel,  March  12,  1859;  James  L.  Athey,  April  4,  1859;  William 
L.  LocKnart,  June  18,  1861 ;  David  Barnett,  July  16,  1861 :  William  E.  D. 
Barnett,  October  20.  1863:  John  Q.  Cromwell,  May  31,  1866:  A.  L.  Witty, 


i8q  weik's   history  of 

Fel)rnarv  12.  1867;  B.  G.  Parritt,  August  19,  1869;  George  A.  Throop,  F"eb- 
ruary  23.  1871  ;  Douglas  Huffman.  March  31,  1879;  George  \V.  Stockwell, 
October  22.  1886;  C.  T.  Zaring,  January  5,  1887;  G.  L.  Elliott,  December  16, 
1889:  James  P.  Gaskin.  Januan,'  6,  1890;  W.  E.  Counts.  May  9.  1891  ;  A.  B. 
Fox,  January  25,  1894;  Jennie  A.  Counts,  December  21.  1897;  C.  R.  Knight, 
April  15,  1898;  Henry  M.  Smith,  February  13,  1903.  At  Hamrick.  which 
was  discontinued  as  a  postoffice  on  October  31,  1902,  the  postmasters  were 
as  follows:  William  T.  Elliott.  October  11,  1866:  Joseph  Sears.  February 
5,  1868;  A.  D.  Hamrick,  April  7,  1868;  Thomas  B.  Xees,  August  10,  1869; 
Sarah  J.  Parritt,  December  13,  1871  ;  A.  D.  Hamrick.  May  28,  1874;  Thomas 
B.  Nees,  Februaiy  11,  1875;  •^-  D.  Hamrick,  April  29,  1876;  Lewis  M. 
Mercer,  July  5,  1878;  A.  D.  Hamrick.  April  5,  1881  ;  L.  M.  Mercer,  May  i, 
^1882;  Lewis  M.  Mercer,  November  28.  1882;  J.  ^L  Brown.  October  11. 
1887;  Lewis  M.  Mercer,  January  24,  1889;  Lewis  Mercer.  April  5,  1890; 
Volney  Smith.  August  20,  1892.     Postoffice  discontinued  October  31.   1902. 

The  following  peculiar  incidents  are  related  by  some  of  the  old  settlers 
as  having  attracted  considerable  comment : 

Old  Squire  Boone,  brother  to  Daniel  Boone,  in  the  township,  once  lived 
in  a  house  which  stood  on  the  ground  which  is  now  in  the  northeast  corner 
of  the  township.  On  the  3d  day  of  July,  1837,  his  house  was.  struck  by 
lightning,  bv  which  two  of  his  children  were  killed.  Three  years  later,  his 
wife  presented  him  with  twin  boys,  whom  he  named  Tip  and  Tyler.  Some 
time  after  that  in  the  same  house,  two  of  his  daughters  were  married  on  the 
same  day. 

David  Sublett.  an  old  settler,  it  would  seem,  had  more  than  an  ordinary 
share  of  domestic  trouble,  many  of  his  family  having  suffered  violent 
deaths.  About  fiftv  years  ago.  one  of  his  daughters  married  Greenberry 
;Mullinix.  who  murdered  her  within  three  weeks  thereafter,  for  which  he 
suffered  death  on  the  gallows.  Since  that  time,  two  of  his  sons  and  one 
son-in-law  have  been  killed  by  the  railroad,  and  one  son  has  been  shot  in 
Effingham,  Illinois. 

WARREN  TOWNSHIP. 

Warren  township,  comprising  the  first  thirty  .sections  of  the  congressional 
township  13,  range  4,  lies  immediately  south  of  Greencastle  township,  and  is 
bounded  on  the  east  by  Jefferson,  on  the  south  by  Clo\-erdale.  and  on  the 
west  bv  Washington.  The  surface  of  the  township  is  undulating  and  in  parts 
quite  broken.  The  soil  is  a  clay  loam,  with  some  excellent  bottom  lands 
along  Deer  creek.  The  township  was  once  heavily  timbered  with  oak.  poplar, 
hard  maple  and  beech,  with  some  groves  of  walnut  and  hickory,  and  a  plentiful 


PUTNAM     COL'NTY.    INDIAN' A.  l8l 

supply  of  sycamore  along  the  streams.  It  is  drained  by  Deer  creek,  together 
with  its  tributaries,  which  traverse  the  township  from  northeast  to  south- 
west.    Along  this  stream  there  are  numerous  never-failing  limestone  springs.  ^ 

The  early  settlers  of  the  township,  who  are  deceased,  were  James  Town- 
send.  William  Hadden.  Samuel  Hawn.  Benjamin  Hawkins.  George  Pearcy, 
Thomas  Brown.  John  Henderson.  Peter  Waynick.  Alexander  Conley.  Arthur 
Conley.  Gilmore  Conley.  John  Baird,  John  Arnold,  John  Akin.  Judge  De- 
weese.  William  W.  W'alden.  John  Mercer.  Jacob  Peck.  William  Duckworth, 
David  Clearwater,  John  May,  Thomas  McCarty,  Joseph  Denny.  Thomas 
Hancock.  Daniel  Hepler.  Dennis  Williams,  John  Garren.  John  C.  Sellers, 
Nathaniel  Hawkins,  John  S.  Swift,  Archibald  Cooper,  Robert  Woodall,  John 
^\'oodall.  Thomas  Moore.  Joel  Shinn,  James  Martin.  Lozier  B.  Gammon, 
David  Skelton,  Jeremiah  Skelton,  Luke  Davis,  John  Swarts,  Samuel  Martin, 
William  Robinson,  Robert  Robinson,  William  Vestal,  Samuel  Steele,  Edward 
Heath.  Elder  Thomas  Oatman  (Christian  minister).  Dr.  D.  W.  Layman.  A. 
G.  Layman.  A.  W.  Welker.  John  W.  Jenkins,  John  Cooper.  W.  B.  Williams. 
William  A.  Grigsby,  Flower  Swift.  Calvin  Woods.  James  Ligram.  John 
Hendricks.  Joseph  Clapsaddle.  Rev.  Ransom  Hawley.  Polly  Brown.  Elizabeth 
Davis  and  Samuel  Wright. 

In  an  earlv  dav  there  were  two  potteries  in  the  township,  one  operated 
by  Boyd  &  Perry,  the  other  by  A.  W.  Welker. 

One  of  the  marked  features  of  the  township  is  an  excellent  stone  quarry 
one-half  mile  west  of  Putnamville.  on  the  National  road.  The  ledges  of 
rock  in  this  quarry  vary  from  two  inches  to  five  feet  in  thickness.  The 
following  analysis  of  this  stone  is  given  by  Professor  Cox.  state  geologist : 
"Lime,  twenty  per  cent;  sand,  twenty  per  cent:  gray  granite,  sixty  per  cent: 
almost,  if  not  exactly,  like  what  is  called  'English  firestone.'  "■  He  also  says, 
"Granite  will  last  three  hundred  years,  but  this  stone  will  last  as  long  as 
time.  lM)r  foundation  stone,  there  is  probably  none  superior  in  America. 
It  is  not  affected  by  any  change  of  temperature,  and  can  be  f(uarried  in 
winter  just  as  well  as  summer." 

Putnamville  is  the  only  postoffice  town  in  the  township.  Westland, 
which  was  laid  out  soon  after  Putnamville.  had  one  store  for  a  short  time,  but 
now  has  no  inisiness  house  of  any  kind.  A  few  houses  in  close  proximity 
on  either  side  of  the  National  road  are  the  only  indications  left  to  remind 
the  passer-by  of  its  former  existence. 

Putnamville  is  situated  on  the  National  road,  and  was  laid  out  by  James 
Townsend  in  1830  on  land  purchased  from  Edward  Heath.  Townsend  also 
kept  the  first  stiire  in  Putnamville.     He  was  soon  followed  by  a  Mr.  McKane. 


i82  weik's  history  of 

At  Putnamville  the  following  have  served  as  postmaster :  D.  W.  Lay- 
man, December  4,  1832;  E.  R.  Kercheval,  May  25,  1836;  Amos  W.  Walker, 
September  8,  1840;  James  Nosier,  September  2,  1844;  Joseph  L.  Merrill, 
December  19,  1844;  Thomas  Morrow,  September  13,  1845;  William  Eagles- 
field,  November  28,  1845;  ^IcCamy  Hartley,  September  22,  1847;  Samuel 
Milholland,  August  21,  1850;  William  A.  Smock,  August  4,  1851;  Jay  T. 
Wakefield,  August  24,  1853;  William  A.  Grigsby,  August  14,  1856;  James 
M.  Hendrix,  April  9,  1859;  Joel  W.  McGrew.  February  6.  i860;  Thomas 
J.  Bridges,  October  11,  i86i  ;  A.  J.  Clarke,  April  26,  1862;  S.  C.  Bishop, 
November  13,  1866;  James  Stooks,  May  25,  1868;  S.  C.  Bishop,  March  31, 
1869;  William  H.  Holloway,  September  28,  1870:  S.  C.  Bishop,  Januar\-  13, 
1S79;  R.  H.  Bowen,  July  9,  1885;  Emma  Peck,  May  3,  1889;  J.  J.  Bowen, 
Alay  10,  1893;  William  A.  McAninch,  June  23,  1897. 

The  first  school  was  taught  in  the  town  the  same  year  in  which  it  was 
founded  by  Mr.  Wakefield,  who  came  from  New  England. 

Archibald  Cooper  built  the  first  blacksmith  shop  and  carried  on  the 
business  for  several  years.    John  Akin  also  kept  a  shop  about  the  same  time. 

Hugh  Thompson  carried  on  the  first  wagon  shop  and  John  Morgan  put 
up  the  first  carding  machine. 

The  first  grist-mill  was  erected  on  Deer  creek  one-half  mile  southeast 
of  Putnamville.  October  16,  1826,  by  Alexander  Conley.  Another  was  built 
on  the  same  creek,  one-half  mile  southwest  of  the  town,  in  1834.  by  Samuel 
Steele  and  Dr.  D.  W.  Layman. 

During  the  building  of  the  National  road  the  township  improveu  rapidly 
and  business  was  quite  brisk.  In  an  early  day  Putnamville  also  rivaled 
Greencastle  for  the  location  of  the  county  seat,  and  a  little  later  made  a 
very  creditable  effort  to  secure  the  location  of  Asbury  University.  To  se- 
cure this  end,  her  citizens  agreed  to  give  the  university  a  donation  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Putnamville  was  organized  in  1829, 
at  the  house  of  John  S.  Perry,  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Brown  officiating.  John  M. 
Jenkins.  John  S.  Perry.  Luke  Davis  and  wife,  and  John  S warts  and  wife  were 
among  the  first  members.  Soon  after  the  first  organization,  they  erected  a 
neat  frame  building  as  a  house  of  worship,  which  they  continued  to  use  until 
about  the  vear  i860,  when  they  purchased  the  brick  house  built  by  the  Presby- 
terians. 

The  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  at  this  place  November  7.  1830. 
at  the  house  of  James  Townsend.  by  the  Rev.  Isaac  Reed.  The  following 
members  constituted  the  first  organization :  John  Robinson.  Samuel  Moore. 


PUTNAM     COL'.NTY,    INDIAXA.  183 

Mary  Moore.  Alexander  Conley.  Jane  Conley.  James  Townsend,  Catharine 
Townsend.  Sarah  Shell,  Martha  Ashbaugh  and  Julia  Ann  Merrill,  not  one  of 
whom  remains  among  the  living.  James  Townsend  was  the  first  ruling  elder. 
The  first  ministers  were  Rev.  Jeremiah  Hill  (deceased).  Rev.  Samuel  G.  Low- 
ery.  Rev.  James  H.  Shields.  Rev.  William  W.  Woods. 

.\bout  the  year  1S34  they  erected  a  neat  and  commodious  brick  church, 
which  they  occupied  until  1849,  when  the  Old  and  the  New  School  members 
separated,  and  the  Xew  School  built  a  good  frame  church,  which  was  dedi- 
cated in  February,  1850.  A  few  years  afterward,  the  Old  School  sold  the 
brick  church  to  the  Methodists.  Some  of  the  members  joined  the  Xew  School 
and  some  went  to  other  churches. 

The  Rev.  Ransom  Hawley  came  to  Putnamville  in  the  year  1 841,  and 
acted  as  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  till  1S65.  a  period  of  twenty-four 
years.  The  length  of  his  pastorate  is  ample  evidence  of  the  acceptability 
of  his  ministry  and  the  uprightness  of  his  life. 

The  Bethel  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  two  miles  east  of  Putnamville, 
on  the  National  road,  was  organized  about  the  year  1835. 

The  Christian  church  was  organized  by  Elder  O.  P.  Badger  in  1871. 
This  congregation  had  a  good  frame  house,  erected  soon  after  their  organiza- 
tion, in  which  they  still  hold  services. 

Dr.  D.  W.  Layman,  who  came  from  Virginia,  settled  in  Putnamville  in 
1 83 1,  being  the  first  medical  practitioner  in  the  town  or  the  township.  He 
was  so  successful  in  his  practice  no  other  physician  ever  continued  long  in  the 
attempt  to  compete  with  him.  For  many  years  he  was  easily  the  most  promi- 
nent and  influential  citizen  in  the  community.  He  was  a  man  of  upright  hab- 
its and  pleasing  manners  but  of  very  pronounced  political  views.  He  was  an 
ardent  Union  man  during  war  times  and  later  supported  the  pnnciples  of  the 
Republican  party,  but  he  never  sought  an  office  or  any  other  political  prefer- 
ment. 

.A  storv  is  told  that  in  the  fall  of  1864  a  number  of  boisterous  Warren 
township  citizens  who  had  been  attending  a  Democratic  meeting  at  Greencastle 
returning  home  on  horseback  after  night,  passed  by  Layman's  house  and. 
knowing  his  pronounced  L'nion  sentiments,  very  loudly  and  repeatedly  cheered 
for  Jeff  Davis.  Being  hidden  in  the  darkness  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
road,  the  Doctor  was  unable  to  distinguish  the  riders  as  they  noisily  flew  by, 
but  his  ire  was  so  instantly  and  completely  aroused  he  picked  up  a  stone  and 
hurled  it  with  all  his  might  in  the  direction  of  the  noise.  A  little  later  a  man 
came  riding  up  to  the  Doctor's  house  and  asked  the  latter  to  accompany  him 
down  the  road  to  see  a  man  who  was  hurt  and  needed  medical  attention.     "At 


i84  weik's  history  of 

first."  related  the  Doctor  years  afterward,  '"I  was  a  little  suspicious,  but  as 
I  had  never  failed  to  answer  a  call  for  my  professional  services  I  complied  at 
once  and  set  out  for  the  scene  of  trouble.  A  short  distance  down  the  road- 
side we  came  upon  a  group  near  the  fence,  in  the  centre  of  which  reclined  a 
man  who  was  bleeding  profusely  from  a  wound  in  the  head  which  his  com- 
panions explained  had  been  caused  by  a  fall  from  a  horse.  A  light  was  pro- 
cured and  there  by  its  dim  rays  I  gave  the  wounded  man  the  medical  and 
surgical  attention  the  case  seemed  to  require.  Of  course  there  was  some  risk, 
and  I  kept  my  eyes  peeled  all  the  while,  but  I  pretended  to  be  as  innocent  as 
they  and  so  far  as  I  could  observe  there  was  not  the  slightest  attempt  to  molest 
me.  In  fact,  later,  the  injured  man,  still  maintaining  an  air  of  innocence, 
came  to  my  office  and  offered  to  pay  me  for  my  services,  but  I  declined, 
meanwhile  reminding  him  of  the  dangerous  and  inevitable  results  of  cheering 
for  Jeff  Davis — a  lesson  I  am  sure  he  never  forgot." 

CLOVERD.ALE    TOWNSHIP. 

This  township  was  originally  a  part  of  Warren  and  Jefferson  townships. 
It  was  organized  in  1846.  and  is  composed  of  the  southern  tier  of  sections 
of  township  13,  ranges  3  and  4.  and  the  northern  half  of  township  12,  of  the 
same  ranges.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Warren  and  Jefferson  town- 
ships, from  which  it  was  detached ;  on  the  east,  by  Morgan  county  and  Mill 
Creek  township:  on  the  south,  by  Owen  county,  and  on  the  west,  by  Washing- 
ton township.  The  surface  is  hilly  and  broken,  and  was  originally  covered 
with  a  dense  growth  of  timber,  such  as  white  and  yellow  poplar,  maple,  wal- 
nut, oak,  ash,  elm,  gum,  beech  and  mulberry.  The  soil  is  good  and  of  the 
quality  known  as  limestone  land.  The  whole  township  is  underlaid  with  a  fine 
quality  of  limestone,  well  adapted  to  building  and  manufacturing  purposes. 
The  principal  streams  are  Mill  creek  in  the  east  and  Doe  creek  in  the  center. 

The  first  settlers  in  what  is  now  Cloverdale  township  were  William 
Hamilton  and  James  Robinson,  who  came  together  from  Kentucky  in  the 
spring  of  1823.  and  built  the  first  cabins.  Hamilton  located  in  section  i, 
township  12,  range  4.  and  Robinson,  in  section  6,  township  12,  range  3. 
Abraham  Van  Sickle.  x\nthony  Kilgore.  Thomas  James.  Robert  Hadden, 
.Arthur  McNary.  Mr.  Goodman.  Ambrose  Bandy.  G.  Macy  and  Robert  Macy, 
all  came  from  Kentucky  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  and  settled  around 
where  Cloverdale  now  stands.  Jubal  Meadows,  John  Macy.  George  Bandy 
and  John  Taber  came  in  1824.  In  1825  came  John  P.  Sinclair.  John  Briscoe 
and  Robert  Conolv.     During  the  ne.xt  year.  William  Martin.  Thomas  Evans, 


FO'TNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I85 

Enoch  Patrick,  A.  Tabor,  X.  Xolin  and  Nancy  White  became  citizens.  The 
next  four  years  witnessed  the  arrival  of  Phih'p  Rouse.  Peter  Lyon,  James 
Woods,  Robert  Donnoson,  James  Gihuore,  O.  Owen,  Daniel  Morgan.  Robert 
Hood.  Jacob  Rule  and  Samuel  Logan.  John  P.  Sinclair,  John  Briscoe.  Xancy 
\  an  Sickle,  wife  of  A.  Van  Sickle;  James  Macy,  son  of  John  Macy;  James 
Gilmore.  A.  Taber  and  J.  White,  son  of  Nancy  White. 

The  first  white  child  bom  in  the  township  was  Elizabeth  Tabor,  daughter 
of  John  Tabor,  in  1824.  At  that  time,  the  family  lived  in  section  36,  town- 
ship 13.  range  4.  The  first  death  was  that  of  a  child  of  Ambrose  Bandy.  It 
was  buried  in  the  graveyard  yet  used  in  the  town  of  Cloverdale.  The  first 
persons  married  in  the  township  were  David  Martin  and  Betsy  Tabor,  or 
Berry  Brannaman  and  Morris  Sinclair. 

In  183 1  Abraham  Waters  built  the  first  sawmill.  It  stood  on  Doe  creek 
in  section  6,  township  12,  range  3.  There  was  no  flour  and  grist-mill  in  the 
township  until  the  steam  mill  erected  by  Joseph  Pearcy  and  Gabriel  Woodville 
in  the  year  1863.  Moses  Nelson  kept  the  first  tavern  in  the  township.  It 
was  located  in  section  6,  township  12.  range  3,  and  was  opened  for  custom  in 
1836.  In  the  same  year.  Thomas  Nelson  put  up  the  first  store,  which  stood 
on  the  same  section  with  Closes  Nelson's  tavern.  Isaac  J.  McKason.  who 
located  in  the  township  in  1838.  was  the  first  blacksmith.  The  first  school  was 
taught  by  Thomas  Evans  in  1835.  in  a  small  log  building  in  section  i.  town- 
ship 12.  range  4.  Thomas  Nelson  was  the  first  postmaster,  ,m  office  having 
been  established  in  his  store  in  1836.  William  Hamilton  was  the  first  justice 
of  the  peace.  His  successors  have  been  Robert  Martin.  Thomas  Nelson, 
Henry  Magill.  John  Sandy,  B.  D.  Burgess.  William  A.  Sluss,  Peter  McClure, 
William  Mosher,  E.  Long,  C.  Woodville.  T.  Horn,  R.  Williamson.  C.  Walls 
and  Moses  Bridges.     The  first  physician  was  H.  D.  Dyer,  who  came  in  1845. 

The  first  religious  meeting  in  the  township  was  held  by  t.he  Methodists, 
at  the  home  of  John  Macy,  in  1824,  and  conducted  by  John  Cord,  an  itinerant 
Methodist  preacher,  who  died  the  same  year.  After  him  came  John  McCord. 
Stephen  Grimes.  Daniel  .Anderson,  William  H.  Smith  and  Mr.  Strange.  They 
were  followed  by  the  Revs.  Forbes.  .Ames.  Hevenridge.  Horton.  Walls.  Wood. 
Scammahorn.  Jackson.  Bruner,  Davis.  Williams.  John  and  Byron  Carter.  Lee, 
Rosson.  Poynter.  .Allison.  Walls.  Webb.  Hewring.  Pewett,  Tansey,  Johnson 
and  McNaughton.  This  denomination  erected  a  log  church  in  section  i, 
township  12,  range  4.  in  the  year  1827.  which  was  the  first  built  in  the  town- 
ship. Thev  continued  to  u,se  this  house  until  1S48,  when  they  built  a  frame 
church  in  Cloverdale.  which  was  occupied  up  to  the  year  1873.  In  that  year 
thev  erected  their  present  frame  church,  which  stands  as  a  monument  of  their 


l86  WEIKS    HISTORY    OF 

zeal.  There  is  another  Methodist  church  at  Poplar  Grove,  in  this  township. 
The  Regular  Baptists  organized-a  church  in  1827  or  1828,  and  held  meetings 
at  the  house  of  Elder  Owen  Owen,  who  was  their  first  regular  preacher.  A 
church  was  erected  by  them  in  1841,  on  section  6.  In  1844  this  church  di- 
vided, a  part  joining  the  Missionary  Baptists  and  holding  the  building.  The 
Regular  Baptists  built  a  new  house  two  miles  west  of  Cloverdale.  They  now 
have  a  church  three  miles  west  of  town,  on  the  farm  of  A.  Davis.  Cyrus 
Taber,  J.  W.  Denman,  Samuel  Arthur,  Samuel  Denny,  A.  Davis,  Joseph  Call- 
throp,  Joel  Vennillion,  Eli  Beman,  John  Case,  John  Leatherman,  Benjamin 
Parks  and  William  Walden  are  some  of  the  ministers  who  have  served  this 
church. 

The  Christian  denomination  was  organized  into  a  congregation  at 
Cloverdale,  July  24,  1841,  by  Elder  James  Mathes,  assisted  by  John  Pearcy, 
Reuben  Maginnis,  Joseph  Colwell,  George  W.  Crose,  Andrew  T.  McCoy, 
]\Ioses  Nelson,  Thomas  W.  Dowell,  Michael  Crose,  J.  B.  Ross.  Andrew  Mc- 
Mains,  J.  C.  McCoy,  I.  J.  Nickson  and  others.  Meetings  had  been  held  in  the 
township  before  the  organization  of  the  church,  generally  in  private  houses 
and  groves.  Among  those  who  preached  at  this  point  are  Elders  Colwell, 
Headrick,  George  Pearcy,  Perry  and  James  Blankenship,  Franklin,  Smith, 
Hawn,  Lockhart,  Burgess,  Swinford,  Wrights,  Wilsons,  Black.  Harris,  Bad- 
ger and  Pritchard.  The  last  named  held  a  debate  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brooks, 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  March  19  to  28,  1866,  which  created 
quite  a  local  excitement.  It  is  claimed  by  the  Christian  church  that  about 
seventy  members  were  added  to  its  organization  as  the  result  of  the  debate. 
This  denomination  erected  a  frame  church,  in  the  year  of  its  organization,  on 
land  donated  for  that  purpose  by  Andrew  McCoy,  in  the  south  part  of  the 
town  of  Cloverdale,  which  was  occupied  until  1858,  when  they  built  their 
present  commodious  brick  building  in  the  north  part  of  the  same  town.  This 
church  has  a  large  membership  and  is  free  of  debt.  There  are  two  other 
Christian  churches  in  the  township,  Higgins  Creek  and  Unity  church. 

The  town  of  Cloverdale  is  situated  on  the  Louisville,  New  Albany  & 
Chicago  railroad,  twelve  miles  south  of  Greencastle,  and  is  the  second  largest 
town  in  the  county,  exclusive  of  the  county  seat.  It  was  laid  out  by  Andrew 
T.  McCoy  and  Moses  Nelson,,  who  owned  adjoining  tracts  of  land  in  1839. 
and  stands  on  section  i,  township  12,  range  4,  and  section  6,  township  12, 
range  3. 

The  first  store  was  opened  in  a  small  hewed-log  building  by  Thomas  Nel- 
son, who  was  also  the  first  postmaster.  The  Louisville,  New  Albany  &  Chi- 
cago railroad,  now  the  Monon  route,  was  constructed  through  the  village  in 


PUTNAM    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  iSj 

^^53-  \vhich  stimulated  enterprise,  increasing  the  number  of  stores,  shops  and 
other  enterprises.  About  twenty-five  years  since  the  town  had  what  seemed 
to  be  a  new  birth  and  since  that  time  it  has  had  a  constant  growth  in  popula- 
tion and  business  until  it  has  become  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  enterpris- 
ing little  towns  in  this  part  of  the  state.  It  has  fifteen  stores,  a  large  flouring 
mill,  a  saw  mill,  planing  mill  and  two  telephone  exchanges  and  for  twentv 
years  has  been  without  a  saloon.  It  has  a  population  of  about  eight  hundred 
and  two  churches.  Methodist  and  Christian.- 

The  house  of  John  Macy,  in  which  the  Methodist  church  held  its  first 
meeting  in  1824.  stood  in  the  present  side  of  the  town  of  Cloverdale.  In 
1828  Rev.  William  Martin.  John  Sinclair,  Enoch  Patrick.  Thomas  Evans,  and 
Jubal  Aleadows,  trustees  of  the  church,  purchased  two  acres  of  ground  one 
mile  west  of  the  present  location  of  the  church,  upon  which  was  built  a  large 
log  house  for  the  congregation.  It  was  named  Mt.  Zion  ^Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  At  this  church  Mathew  Simpson,  president  of  Asbury  University  and 
afterwards  bishop,  preached  the  funeral  of  Rev.  William  Martin  in  1849. 
Afterwards  the  society  erected  a  good  frame  building  in  Cloverdale  and  later 
the  more  tasteful  and  commodious  building  in  which  it  now  worships.  Its 
present  trustees  are  J.  \\'.  O'Daniel.  H.  G.  :\Iacy,  Estes  Duncan,  James  W. 
\'estal  and  E.  A,  Wood,  The  pastor  is  Rev.  Robert  E.  Cornell ;  church  mem- 
bership, two  hundred  thirty-five. 

In  addition  to  the  Christian  church  in  the  town  of  Cloverdale  already 
mentioned  are  two  churches  of  the  same  denomination  in  the  east  and  west 
parts  of  the  township,  known  as  East  Unity  and  \\'est  Unity.  The  regular 
Baptists  have  a  good  church  building  southeast  of  Cloverdale.  known  as 
Smyrna  church.     W.  E.  Gill  is  the  pastor;  membership,  thirty-two. 

Cloverdale  has  one  bank,  called  the  Bank  of  Cloverdale.  D.  V.  Moft'ett 
is  president,  W.  E   Gill,  cashier,  and  O.  V.  Smythe.  assistant  cashier.' 

A  newspaper  called  The  Bee,  was  established  in  Cloverdale.  January  i, 
1S77,  by  W.  B.  Harris.  It  lived  one  year.  In  April.  1874.  Lyman  Xaugle 
laimched  the  Local  Item,  which  lived  several  years.  Soon  thereafter  came 
The  Graphic,  which  is  still  published.  Its  editor  and  proprietor  is  Harrv  B. 
Martin.,- 

The  oldest  fraternal  (jrder  in  Cloverdale  is  Cloverdale  Lodge,  No.  132. 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  The  lodge  was  organized  in  1851.  Its  charter 
members  included  Solomon  Akers.  Henry  M.  Gill,  G.  B.  Lyon.  William  F. 
McGinnis.  William  Williams.  M.  D.  F.  Black.  James  H.  Sparks  and  George 
Smith.  The  officers  at  present  are:  Herschel  C.  Foster,  worshipful  master; 
Louis  Morrison,  senior  warden:  W.  Fred  Farmer,  junior  warden;  David  E. 


i88  weik's  history  of 

Sluss,  treasurer;  Henry  B.  Martin,  secretary:  Robert  C.  Horn,  senior  dea- 
con; James  E.  Macy.  junior  deacon;  Homer  T.  Broadstreet.  senior  steward; 
Joseph  P.  Omullane.  junior  steward;  William  E.  Morrison,  tyler;  inember- 
ship,  eighty-fi\  e. 

Sanders  Lodge.  Xo.  307,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was  in- 
stituted May  20.  1868.  Charter  members:  T.  J.  Johnson.  A.  H.  Gihnore, 
T.  J.  Walls!  T.  H.  Stevenson.  J.  B.  McCormick.  J.  H.  Allison.  H.  G.  Dyer 
and  H.  Marshall.  Present  officers :  J.  F.  Ransopher.  noble  grand :  F.  L. 
-\IcKee,  vice-grand ;  John  Ward,  secretary,  and  T.  C.  Utterback,  treasurer. 

Diamond  Lodge.  Xo.  349.  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  instituted  March  7. 
1892.  The  following  were  the  charter  members:  Parks  M.  Martin.  James 
P.  Beanian,  William  A.  Moser.  Charles  E.  Pickens,  Benjamin  F.  Truesdale. 
William  M.  Moser,  George  B.  Rockwell,  John  W.  Thornburgh.  William  Sack- 
ett.  Charles  S.  Sinclair,  Michael  F.  Flannery.  David  E.  Watson,  James  A. 
Sandy,  Frank  E.  McCarney  and  Francis  AL  Cole.  The  officers  at  present 
are:  James  F.  Hartsan.  chancellor  commander:  John  .\.  Omullane.  vice- 
chancellor  commander;  O.  E.  Collins,  prelate;  J.  F.  O'Brien,  master  of  work; 
W.  J.  Hood,  keeper  of  records  and  seal ;  C.  A.  Rockwell,  master  of  exchequer; 
W.  J.  Hood,  master  of  finance;  F.  L.  McKee,  master  of  arms:  P.  ^L  McAvoy. 
inner  guard  ;  Charles  McAvoy,  outer  guard  ;  membership,  one  hundred  twenty. 

Cloverdale  Camp.  7194.  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  was  organized 
November  1 1.  1899,  and  has  a  membership  of  one  hundred  and  five.  Its  offi- 
cers are:  B.  B.  Hamilton,  venerable  consul:  Roy  D.  Vestal,  worthy  adviser; 
John  Meek,  banker;  \^^  E.  Horn,  clerk;  Ellis  Tabor,  escort;  R.  E.  Keller, 
watchman :  James  Orrell,  sentry ;  Jesse  McCoy.  George  Wingfield.  Jesse  Hub- 
bard, trustees. 

Cloverdale  also  has  a  Grantl  Anny  post.  It  is  called  General  Frank 
\\"hite  Post.  Xo.  422.  Its  officers  are:  W.  R.  Larkin.  commander;  H.  B. 
Martin,  senior  vice-commander;  W.  P.  Allen,  junior  vice-commander;  H.  E. 
Keller,  officer  of  the  day:  J.  M.  Scott,  quartermaster:  S.  B.  Man.  adjutant; 
Rev.  Mathew  Masten.  chaplain. 

Charles  .\.  Rockwell  is  postmaster  and  George  B.  Rockwell  assistant 
postmaster.  Cloverdale  is  the  second  largest  office  in  the  county.  The  salary 
of  the  postmaster  is  thirteen  hundred  dollars  per  year  and  there  are  fi\-e  rural 
mail  routes  from  the  Cloverdale  office. 

The  officers  of  the  town  of  Cloverdale  are :  Frank  M.  Cole.  Leander  L. 
Runyan.  John  F.  Richardson,  trustees;  Charles  Hunter,  marshal;  Otho  V. 
Smvthe.  clerk  and  treasurer:  Wilson  E.  Horn,  health  officer;  school  board. 


PCTNAM    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  189 

Uly  Denny,  president,  Walter  K.   Pritchard,  secretary,  and  Willis   E.  Gill, 
treasurer. 

There  is  one  woman's  club  called  "The  Fortnightly  Club." 
Through  the  instrumentality  of  Doctor  Dyer,  a  seminary  was  erected 
in  Cloverdale  in  1850.  which  was  carried  on  for  about  three  years.  Prof. 
William  Bray  was  the  first  principal,  and  was  followed  by  N.  C.  Woodward. 
The  institution  was  chartered  and  was  organized  under  promising  circum- 
stances. Doctor  Dyer,  Andrew  T.  McCoy  and  John  Sandy  were  the  largest 
stockholders.  The  school  finally  failed,  because  a  majority  of  the  stock- 
holders refused  to  be  taxed  for  its  support. 

The  Cloverdale  postoffice  has  been  administered  by  the  following  named : 
William  L.  Hart,  February  11,  1836;  Thomas  Nelson,  August  7,  1841  ;  John 
V.  Hopkins,  August  23,  1845;  John  Sandy,  January  19,  1849;  Thomas  E. 
Martin,  June  16.  1853:  John  Sandy,  January  30,  1854;  Solomon  Akers,  Oc- 
tober 10.  1855;  George  L.  Talbott,  March  29,  1861 ;  Moses  Akers.  April  8, 
1863;  H.  M.  Rockwell,  March  23,  1864;  Jacob  Smith,  February  21,  1865; 
Parmenus  Davis,  August  17,  1865;  Jacob  Smith.  October  5,  1865;  Parmenus 
Davis,  April  6,  1866;  S.  S.  Haviland.  April  10,  1867;  Henry  B.  Martin, 
September  2,  1869;  A.  P.  Kunkler,  March  i,  1870;  Harvey  Denny,  February 
28,  1871 :  C.  C.  Foster,  May  25,  1885 ;  John  C.  Merwin,  May  3,  1889:  W.  E. 
Horn,  April  18,  1893;  Charles  A.  Rockwell,  April  15,  1897. 

JEFFERSON   TOWNSHIP. 

Jefferson  township  consists  of  the  first  thirty  sections  of  township  13, 
range  3,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Marion,  on  the  east  by  Mill  creek,  on 
the  south  by  Cloverdale.  and  on  the  west  by  Warren  township.  '  It  is  drained 
b}'  Mill  creek,  and  was  originally  timbered,  as  the  neighboring  townships. 
The  soil  is  a  rich  loam,  suitable  for  the  production  of  grass  and  grain.  .At 
one  time  it  fonned  a  part  of  what  was  called  Deer  Creek  township,  which  in- 
cUuled  Jefferson.  Warren  and  Cloverdale.  In  the  year  1846,  Warren  and 
Jefferson  gave  off  enough  to  make  Cloverdale  township,  leaving  Jefferson  with 
its  present  area. 

The  fir.st  settlers,  called  "squatters."  consisted  of  four  families — three 
named  Higgins.  and  one  named  Kirk — who  made  temporary  settlements  on 
section  16,  in  the  year  1819.  John  C.  Sherrill  made  his  entry  of  land  in 
the  autumn  of  1822.  Jacob  Clark,  George  Hendrick.  William  Albin.  George 
Hurst.  David  Hurst.  John  Gillman.  Absalon  Hurst.  Abraham  Hurst  and  a 
Mr.  Langwell.  all  came  in  that  year  or  the  early  part  of  the  ne.xt. 


190 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


After  this,  settlements  were  made  so  rapidly  that  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  note  them  as  they  occurred.  From  1822  to  1833  the  larger  portion  of  the 
land  was  taken  up  by  entry,  and  but  few  pieces  remained  unentered  after  the 
year  1836. 

The  first  marriage  was  that  of  William  Aldrich  and  Betsy  Higgins  in  the 
year  1823.  The  next  was  that  of  Henry  Nosier  and  Mary  Hurst,  which  was 
solemnized  by  David  Scott,  Esq.,  in  1824. 

The  family  record  of  John  C.  Sherrill  shows  that  his  daughter  Caroline 
was  born  on  February  27,  1823,  and  she  was,  probably,  the  first  child  born  in 
the  township.  She  became  the  wife  of  Elijah  McCarty,  but  is  now  deceased. 
Probably  the  next  was  Andrew  McMains — named  after  his  father — who  was 
born  June  10,  1824,  and  still  lives  in  the  township. 

The  first  mill  in  the  township  was  built  by  John  Hadden,  in  1826;  the 
next  in  1829,  by  John  Allee.  These  were  both  horse-mills.  The  first  water- 
mill  was  built  on  Higgins'  creek  in  1834  by  John  Smith.  These  mills  afiforded 
all  the  facilities  then  required  for  the  production  of  meal  and  flour. 

The  first  justice  of  the  peace  was  David  Scott.  Esq.,  who  continued  in 
office  for  a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years. 

It  appears  from  the  church  records,  that  the  Regular  Baptists  organized 
Mill  Creek  church  at  the  house  of  Rev.  .Absalom  Hurst  in  1828,  and  in  1830 
built  a  log  meeting  house  near  the  site  of  their  present  one.  They  have  main- 
tained their  organization  ever  since,  and  have  twice  rebuilt. 

The  date  of  organization  of  the  Methodist  church  cannot  be  given.  In 
1838  they  built  a  hewed-log  church,  called  Jones'  meeting-house.  The  congre- 
gation went  down  in  1856,  after  which  the  house  was  used  as  a  shop. 

The  Missionary  Baptists  organized  New  Providence  church  at  the  house 
of  John  C.  Sherill  in  1839,  and  built  a  log  house  of  worship  in  the  succeeding 
year.  They  have  since  rebuilt,  and  now  have  a  commodious  and  handsome 
house. 

There  are  at  the  present  time  in  the  township  five  houses  of  public  wor- 
ship. 

Rev.  Absalom  Hurst  was  the  first  resident  minister  in  the  township,  and 
was  considered  the  founder  of  Mill  Creek  church. 

The  earlv  vices  of  this  township,  as  of  most  new  countries,  were  drunken- 
ness and  gambling;  but,  by  the  advance  of  a  better  civilization,  sober  habits 
and  a  more  elevated  moral  sentiment  prevail.  Though  drinking  spirits  was  a 
common  fault  in  the  early  history  of  the  township,  it  is  a  noteworthy  fact 
that  there  never  was  a  still-house  within  the  limits  of  its  territory. 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I9I 

The  schools  of  the  township  were  organized  in  1834.  The  books  con- 
taining the  records,  kept  by  John  Alice,  treasurer  of  the  township  trustees, 
show  that  he  received  from  the  school  fund  commissioner  of  the  county  the 
following  amounts:  In  the  year  1834,  $116.3114;  1835,  $191. 93^54;  1836. 
$131.0654  ;  1837,  $152  ;  total  for  four  years.  $591. 31^^. 

There  are  two  villages  in  the  township.  Mount  Meridian  and  Belle  Union. 
Mount  Meridian  was  laid  out  by  William  Heavin  and  Bryce  W.  Miller,  in  the 
year  1S33.  It  was  at  first  called  Carthage,  but,  in  order  that  the  town  and 
postoffice  might  have  the  same  name,  it  was  given  that  which  it  now  bears. 

At  Belle  Union  the  following  postmasters  have  served :  Robert  Mc- 
Cammack,  April  6,  1S70;  M.  B.  Scott,  June  8,  1874;  James  N.  Bourne,  June 
9,  1875;  A.  J.  Hill,  December  27,  1875;  Thomas  N.  Sherrill,  August  21, 
1885;  Lemuel  Buis,  April  4,  18S8;  David  Cohn,  October  2,  1889;  J.  M. 
Hurst,  June  6,  1893;  James  H.  Larkin,  August  7,  1894;  Milton  C.  Mc- 
Aninch,  June  24,  1898;  George  A.  Dobbs,  February  29,  1904.  The  postoffice 
was  discontinued  on  May  14,  1906.  At  Mount  Meridian  the  postmasters 
have  been  William  Bailey,  July  24,  1835;  John  W.  Osborn.  October  13, 
1842;  Asa  Cooper,  December  9,  1845;  Valentine  G.  Kemper,  June  30,  1851; 
William  S.  Bourne.  April  9,  1S55:  D.  S.  Duckworth,  March  28,  1859; 
Thomas  A.  Br\an.  September  3,  1861  ;  Joel  S.  Cooper,  November  25,  1861 ; 
Washington  Brenton.  February  13,  1862;  Joel  S.  Cooper,  September  i,  1S63; 
T.  S.  Vermilion,  September  14,  1866;  William  N.  Wood,  October  23,  1866; 
William  T.  W.  Elmore,  May  14,  1868;  Jesse  M.  Elmore,  August  9,  1869; 
S.  W.  McAninch,  November  9,  1870;  William  N.  Wood,  December  19,  1871 ; 
Jesse  M.  Elmore,  December  15,  1873;  Alfred  Elmore,  March  30.  1876; 
Martin  F.  Dorsett,  July  12,  1880;  William  Hurst,  December  20,  1880; 
Samuel  P.  Bowen,  October  28,  1881  ;  S.  S.  Bourne,  August  31,  1882;  Wil- 
liam Hurst.  April  24,  1885;  J.  S.  Knight.  May  14,  1889;  William  Hurst. 
May  27,  1893;  John  H.  Fox,  September  16,  1897;  discontinued  February 
28,  1905. 

MILL    CREEK    TOWNSHIP. 

Mill  Creek  township  lies  east  of  Marion,  Jefferson  and  Cloverdale  town- 
ships, and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Hendricks  county,  on  the  east  by  Hen- 
dricks and  Morgan,  and  on  the  south  by  Morgan.  It  is  drained  by  Mill  creek. 
which  forms  the  eastern  and  southern  boundaries.  There  are  a  few  small 
tributaries,  but  none  of  any  size,  which  enter  that  stream  within  the  limits  of 
Putnam  county.     This  township  was  annexed  to  Putnam  county  by  order  of 


192 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


the  board  of  county  commissioners  at  the  September  term,  i860,  confirmed 
by  act  of  the  Legislature,  approved  March  1 1,  1861. 

The  first  settler  in  this  township  wasThomas  Broadstreet.  Sr..  who  was 
born  in  Virginia  in  the  year  1813.  In  the  year  1826,  at  the  age  of  thirteen, 
he  came  west  with  his  father,' who  settled  within  one  mile  of  the  west  edge  of 
the  township.  Although  but  a  boy  at  that  time,  he  was  acquainted  with  nearly 
all  the  early  settlers  of  the  township.  The  first  log  cabin  in  Mill  Creek 
township  was  built  in  the  year  1826,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  stream  from 
which  the  township  takes  its  name,  one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Stiles- 
ville,  by  Jacob  Holmes.  This  home  was  afterward  sold  to  James  Sallust. 
The  next  was  built  on  what  is  known  as  the  Clark  farm,  by  Thomas  Skelton. 
William  Parker  entered  land  and  built  a  house  close  by,  and  then  came 
Elisha  Hurst  and  Norman  Nunn.  They  were  all  early  settlers,  and  owned 
lands  adjoining  the  Clark  farm  on  the  west.  William  Heavin  came  here  in 
the  year  1827,  and  at  first  built  a  log  cabin,  but  within  a  few  years  erected  a 
good  hewed-log  house,  which  up  to  a  recent  date  was  still  standing.  At  a 
very  early  day,  Mr.  Heavin  built  a  water-mill  of  the  kind  known  to  old 
settlers  as  a  hominy-pestle ;  and  he  also  planted  the  first  orchard  in  the  town- 
ship. 

The  first  death  which  occurred  in  the  township  was  that  of  Mrs.  Bar- 
bara Heavin,  wife  of  William  Heavin,  who  died  in  the  year  1830  and  was 
interred  near  the  family  dwelling.  After  eight  years  more  of  toil  in  this 
new  country,  her  husband  followed  her  in  death,  and  was  laid  beside  the 
remains  of  his  companion. 

James  Sallust,  father  of  John  and  William  Sallust  of  this  township, 
and  of  J.  R.  Sallust  of  Oregon,  came  from  Virginia  to  Mill  creek  in  the  year 
1829,  and  lived  in  his  traveling  tent  until  he  built  a  cabin  in  which  to  live. 
It  is  remarked  of  Mr.  Sallust  that  he  was  a  man  of  great  industry,  and  he 
put  under  cuhivation  a  large  part  of  the  farm  on  which  his  son,  John  Sallust, 
afterwards  lived.  Mr.  Sallust  made  the  first  kiln  of  brick  in  the  township. 
His  moulder  and  burner  was  a  man  named  Daniel  Elliott.  Mr.  Sallust  lived 
to  the  year  1851. 

Mr.  McHaffie.  from  Kno.x  county,  Pennsylvania,  father  of  M.  E.  Mc- 
HaiTie,  bought  land  in  the  north  part  of  the  township  in  the  year  1831,  to 
which  he  removed  in  the  fall  of  the  next  year.  He  built  the  first  water- 
power  grist-mill  in  the  township,  in  the  year  1835-36.  Samuel  Beedle,  Pleas- 
ant Allee  and  William  Allee  all  came  to  the  township  in  the  year  1837. 

The  first  child  born  in  the  township  was  Nancy  E.  Holmes,  daughter 
of  Jacob  Holmes,  who  built  the  first  house  in  the  township.     Her  birth  oc- 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  I93 

curred  May  7,  1830.  This  child  died  at  the  age  of  four  years.  The  first 
marriage  was  that  of  EH  Lee  and  Polly  Heavin,  daughter  of  William  and 
Barbara  Heavin,  in  the  year  1832.  Mr.  Lee  built  the  first  horse-mill,  which 
was  one  widely  known  and  extensively  patronized  for  many  years.  The 
first  school  house  in  this  township  was  built  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Bricks.  The 
puncheons  for  the  floor  and  seats  of  this  house  were  hewed  by  Pleasant 
Allee 

The  -Methodist  church  was  organized  in  the  township  in  the  year  1829, 
at  the  house  of  Air.  Bricks,  mentioned  above.  Services  were  afterward  held 
at  the  school  house  until  the  erection  of  Mount  Pisgah  church,  on  the  land 
of  Norman  Nunn,  in  the  year  1844  or  1845.  Mr.  Thomas  Broadstreet  was 
one  of  the  earliest  if  not  the  first  minister  in  the  township. 

Thomas  Elliott  improved  the  place  at  the  forks  of  the  Greencastle  and 
National  roads,  where  he  first  built  a  log  house,  in  which  he  kept  tavern, 
as  did  also  Mr.  Keller,  just  across  the  line  in  Hendricks  county.  In  the  year 
1837,  Mr.  Elliott  built  a  brick  house,  and  in  the  following  year  Mr.  Keller 
built  a  two-story  frame.  These  were  rival  houses  and  attained  to  great 
notoriety.  They  were  known  as  the  "Tecumseh"  and  "Washington  Hall." 
They  were  together  called  the  "twin  taverns." 

While  the  National  road  was  constructing,  in  the  years  1833  and  1834, 
the  general  government  built  two  bridges  over  small  creeks  just  west  of 
the  twin  taverns,  the  stone  abutments  of  which  are  good  to  this  day.  This 
is  true  also  of  other  works  of  the  same  kind  constructed  on  that  road  at  the 
same  date. 


(13) 


CHAPTER  XII. 


PUTNAM  S    MILITARY   RECORD. 


Among  the  early  records  of  the  county  conimi.ssioners'  court  is  an  entry 
showing  that,  on  motion  of  D.  R.  Eckels,  the  county  treasurer  was  author- 
ized and  instructed  to  loan  to  the  members  of  the  military  company  known  as 
the  Putnam  Blues,  an  amount  of  money  not  exceeding  two  thousand  dollars;" 
all  of  which  goes  to  show  that  the  idea  of  military  protection  was  not  long  in 
taking  root  in  the  minds  of  the  early  settlers.  Somehow  a  feeling  of  safety 
as  well  as  pride  was  inspired  by  the  sight  of  the  weapons,  the  bright  uniforms 
and  glittering  equipment  of  the  militia  on  muster  day.  The  following  notice, 
found  in  a  copy  of  the  Putnam  County  Sentinel,  published  March  i8,  1847, 
will  serve  to  indicate  the  status  of  the  development  of  the  Militia  up  to  the 
time  named : 

"Attention  Company!! 

"Putnam  Yellow  Jackets. 

"You  are  hereby  ordered  to  parade  on  Saturday,  the  loth  of  April,  at 

10  o'clock  A.  M.,  at  the  Armory  in  full  unifomi.     A  punctual  attendance  is 

requested  as  this  is  the  first  Company  Muster  for  this  year.     There  is  some 

business  of  importance  to  come  before  the  company  at  that  time — also  it  is 

supposed  there  will  be  an  election  of  subordinate  officers  to  fill  stations  that 

are  not  occupied  at  present.     Persons  wishing  to  become  members  can  do  so 

bv  calling  on  the  commissioned  officers  or  the  undersigned. 

"Come  out!     Come  out!! 

"By  order  of  Capt.  Appleg.\te. 
"Hexry  W.  Daniels, 

"Ord.  Serg." 

.-Vt  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  war,  so  far  as  we  can 
learn,  the  Putnam  Blues  and  Putnam  Yellow  Jackets  were  the  only  two  mili- 
tary companies  fully  equipped  for  active  service  in  the  county;  but  to  the 
Blues  was  assigned  the  honor  and  responsibility  of  representing  the  county 
in  the  campaign  against  Mexico.  The  company  assembled  at  the  court  house 
on  the  dav  of  its  departure  in  the  presence  of  a  large  crowd  and,  with  colors 


PL'TXAM     COL'XTY.    IXDIAXA.  I95 

flying,  set  out  for  tlie  scene  of  action.  It  marched  southea.st  along  the 
Bloomington  road  and  tliere  are  yet  living  men  who  were  boys  then  and  who, 
attracted  by  the  music  of  fife  and  drum  and  the  striking  military  appearance 
of  the  soldiers,  followed  the  company  on  foot  for  miles  out  of  town. 
\Vhen  New  Albany  was  reached,  the  Putnam  county  contingent  was  given  the 
post  of  honor,  being  known  thereafter  as  Company  A,  First  Regiment  Indi- 
ana \'oIunteers.  They  were  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  June 
20,  1S46.  One  of  the  leading  and  probably  the  most  influential  men  in  arous- 
ing interest  in  the  organization  of  the  company  for  the  campaign  in  Mexico 
was  Delana  R.  Eckels.  He  was  then  in  the  vigor  of  his  early  manhood  and, 
although  such  men  as  James  P.  Drake  and  Henry  S.  Lane  were  also  in  the 
same  regiment,  it  is  doubtful  if  any  of  them  surpassed  Eckels  in  military  acu- 
men, concentration  of  purpose  or  strength  of  intellect.  He  was  appointed 
commissary  of  the  regiment  with  the  rank  of  captain.  The  only  other  staff 
ot^cer  from  Putnam  county  was  William  Albin,  quartermaster  sergeant.  The 
officers  of  Company  A  were :  John  H.  Roberts,  captain,  who  died  February 
19.  1847,  and  was  succeeded  by  Daniel  A.  Farley;  William  L.  Farrow  was 
first  lieutenant  and  R.  W.  Jones  and  Abisha  L.  Morrison  second  lieutenants; 
John  C.  Walls,  Benjamin  E.  Brooks,  Thomas  S.  Hancock  and  Merritt 
Redding,  sergeants,  and  John  Nead,  Wesley  I.  Banks,  Lewis  H.  Rudisill  and 
Joel  W.  McGrew,  corporals.  The  privates  were:  Howard  Abbott,  Lafayette 
Atkinson,  Andrew  I.  Akers,  Thomas  S.  Bridges,  San  ford  P.  Burk,  Samuel 
McH.  Brooks,  James  Craig.  Lafayette  Cornwall.  Henry  C.  Crook,  Samuel 
Francis.  William  W.  Farley.  John  Ford.  John  Gray,  Abijah  Grimes,  Jesse  M. 
Hamrick,  Martin  Heath,  Alfred  K.  Keller,  Henry  Keller,  William  R.  Keller, 
\\'illiam  Knipe.  William  Lane,  Humphrey  G.  May,  Floyd  Mills,  Isaac  Mc- 
Mannoway,  Samuel  Purcell,  James  Pickering.  John  Pickering,  Joseph  Rob- 
erts. Lewis  Solomon.  James  H.  Summers.  Daniel  T.  Summers,  Solomon  O. 
Siddens,  Jesse  A.  Shepherd,  Abram  N.  Stringer,  Mason  Vennillion,  Robert 
C.  Wilson,  Patterson  M.  Wood,  Robert  Walls,  David  Young. 

The  following  privates  died  during  the  service :  Henry  Hiatt.  Samuel 
E.  Xewell.  George  West.  Joseph  R.  Banks,  James  McCall,  Samuel  C.  Morris, 
Clark  Powers  and  Henry  A.  West ;  and  the  following  were  discharged  be- 
fore the  term  of  their  enlistment  had  expired  on  account  of  disease  or  disa- 
bility: George  W.  Atkinson,  Xelson  Combs,  Perry  Gase,  Henry  Hotspillar, 
^\^esley  Mills.  Elias  Xeff.  Lyman  P.  Nichols.  James  Rhino,  Xotlev  M.  Sand- 
ers. Joseph  Sanders,  Benjamin  E.  Talbott.  Elisha  Hasty.  Harmon  Skeen, 
Tames  Smith  and  William  D.  Frazier. 


196  weik's  history  of 

Although  experiencing  the  usual  hardships  of  soldier  life,  the  troops 
from  Putnam  county  were  more  or  less  fortunate  in  that  the  First  Regiment, 
to  which  thev  belonged,  was  not  required  to  participate  in  the  decisive  bat- 
tles of  Churubusco,  Palo  Alto,  Monterey.  Chapultepec  or  any  of  the  bloody 
engagements  of  the  war.  Although  never  under  actual  fire,  they  were 
equally  as  brave  and  daring  as  any  of  the  other  troops,  obeyed  the  orders  of 
their  superiors  as  implicitly  and  did  their  duty  as  fully  and  fearlessly  as  if 
facing  the  cannon's  mouth.  Most  of  those  who  survived  returned  to  their 
Indiana  homes  and  many  afterwards,  including  William  L.  Farrow,  Abisha 
L.  Morrison.  Joel  W.  McGrew  and  William  Lane,  served  as  commissioned 
officers  on  the  side  of  the  Union  during  the  Rebellion.  The  only  survivor 
of  the  entire  company  so  far  as  known  is  Wesley  I.  Banks,  who  now  lives  in 
the  town  of  Centre ville.  Iowa. 

As  the  one  great  result  of  the  Mexican  war  was  to  emphasize  and 
accentuate  the  slavery  question,  it  will  not  be  out  of  order  here  to  reflect, 
for  a  few  moments,  on  the  attitude  and  conduct  of  the  early  settlers  of  Put- 
nam county  toward  the  negroes,  both  free  and  enslaved.  The  majority  of 
these  early  settlers  being  from  Kentucky,  where  slavery  had  been  in  existence 
from  time  immemorial,  and  some  of  them  being  themselves  the  owners  of 
slaves,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  that  many  of  them  saw  no  great  or  crying 
need  for  interfering  with  the  institution  as  it  then  existed. 

The  first  incident  which  tends  to  indicate  the  local  sentiment  as  to  the 
rights  of  a  slave  and  that  of  his  owner  is  found  in  the  records  of  the  circuit 
court  in  1836.  On  the  30th  day  of  April  in  that  year.  William  McCubbens 
appeared  before  Tames  Rankin,  one  of  the  associate  justices  of  the  county, 
and  filed  an  affidavit,  reciting  that  he  was  then  a  resident  of  Paris,  Edgar 
countv,  Illinois,  to  which  place  he  had  removed  from  his  home  in  Tennessee; 
that  he  ^\■as  the  owner  of  numerous  slaves ;  that  among  them  was  a  girl  named 
Jane,  who  had  escaped  his  vigilance,  fled  from  the  county  and  was  then  li\-ing 
with  and  under  the  protection  of  certain  persons  in  Putnam  county,  passing 
as  a  free  person;  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  she  was  not  free,  but  was  his  slave, 
bound  to  him  for  labor  and  he  therefore  demanded  that  the  said  negro  girl 
be  delivered  over  to  him  as  his  property,  to  be  by  him  transported  to  a  locality 
bevond  the  boundaries  of  the  state.  After  listening  to  the  testimony,  the 
court  decided  in  the  slave  owner's  favor.  The  girl  thereupon  appealed  to 
the  full  bench  of  the  court  and  the  proceeding  being  of  such  moment  and 
importance  a  special  session  was  set  for  May  5th.  Meanwhile  the  girl  was 
turned  over  to  the  plaintiff,  whereupon  the  latter,  as  the  record  discloses, 
executed  a  bond  guaranteeing  costs  and  the  appearance  of  the  girl  in  court. 


PCTXA.M    COr.XTV.    IXDIAXA.  I97 

with  James  McCiibbens  and  Joseph  L.  ^[errill  as  his  sureties.  Court  convened 
on  the  day  assigned,  with  James  Rankin  and  Wilham  Elrod.  associate  jus- 
tices, on  the  bench.  The  record  does  not  disclose  who  the  third  member 
was  or  why  he  was  not  present.  The  following  jur}-  was  impaneled  and 
sworn  :  John  Allen.  John  Dicks.  James  Denny,  Arthur  Walker,  Jacob  Huff- 
man. Abner  Goodwin.  William  Leachman,  John  Lynch,  Isaiah  Vermillion, 
John  Standeford,  Pryor  L.  Fanner  and  Thomas  Cochran.  How  long  the 
trial  lasted  can  not  now  be  learned,  but  after  a  somewhat  exhaustive  inquiry 
the  jury  returned  the  following  verdict:  "We  the  jury  find  that  the  said 
negro  girl,  Jane,  owes  service  as  a  slave  under  the  laws  of  the  state  of  Ten- 
nessee, for  life  to  the  said  \\'illiam  McCubbens,  as  in  the  said  affidavit  of 
complaint  of  said  William,  is  mentioned  and  that  the  same  is  substantially 
true.  James  Denny,  foreman."  Whereupon  the  court  made  the  following 
decree,  which  was  gravely  entered  on  the  record :  "It  is  therefore  ordered  by 
the  court  that  Joseph  L.  Merrill  and  James  McCubbens.  bondsmen,  surrender 
the  said  girl  Jane  in  discharge  of  their  recognizance,  which  being  done,  she 
is  now  by  order  of  the  court  delivered  into  the  possession  and  custody  of 
said  William  McCubbens  as  her  lawful  owner."  Although  in  compliance  with 
the  letter  of  the  law,  it  is  doubtful  if,  in  some  parts  of  the  United  States,  the 
poor  black  girl  would  have  been  turned  over  to  her  alleged  "lawful  owner." 
with  the  right  to  her  services  "for  life."  Legally  considered,  the  judgment 
may  not  have  been  erroneous,  but  future  generations  will  never  cease  to 
regret  that  the  incident  took  place  in  Putnam  county. 

But  everyone  did  not  believe  in  the  right  of  a  sla\e  owner  to  come  to 
Indiana  and  forcibly  take  from  the  state  a  human  being  condemned  to 
servitude  for  life.  There  were  those  who  held  that  e\en  though  the  law  was 
made  to  sanction  slavery,  it  was  right  to  ignore  or  evade  such  an  inhuman 
provision  and  if  necessary  openly  violate  it.  In  striking  contrast,  therefore, 
to  the  incident  related  in  the  foregoing  paragraph,  it  is  more  or  less  refresh- 
ing to  read  the  following,  which  also  took  place  in  Putnam  county  during 
the  days  when  slavery-  flourished  under  the  "sanction  of  the  law."  For  an 
account  of  this  episode  we  are  indebted  to  Capt.  Joseph  M.  Donnohue.  who 
prepared  the  following  paper  for  the  Putnam  County  Historical  Society,  and 
who.  strange  to  relate,  is  himself  the  son  of  a  Kentuckian,  who  inherited 
slaves  from  his  ancestors  and.  on  attaining  his  majority,  set  them  free : 

"One  drizzlv  dav  in  the  month  of  September,  i860,  two  boys  were 
rambling  about  two  miles  south  of  the  town  of  Greencastle.  They  had 
crossed  the  farm  then  ow  ned  and  occupied  by  W.  T.  Hawkins  and  climbed 
upon  the  fence  separating  one  of  his  fields  from  a  heavily  wooded  pasture. 


198  weik's  historv  of 

known  then  as  a  part  of  the  Miller  Black  farm.  This  woodland  was  broken 
by  hollows  and  by  what  is  commonly  known  as  sinkholes.  Small  under- 
growth of  paw-paw  bushes  partly  concealed  the  ground.  The  bo\s  this 
day  were  accompanied  by  a  hound  of  the  lop-eared  kind,  which,  when  trail- 
ing, emitted  a  continuous  musical  roll  of  noises,  that  makes  the  writer  wish 
he  was  a  graduate  of  some  music  school  in  order  that  he  might  properlv  de- 
scribe the  music  the  old  hound  produced.  When  the  dog  had  crossed  the 
fence  his  nose  went  into  the  air.  the  hair  on  his  back  became  erect  from  head 
to  tail,  and,  giving  vent  to  a  deep  bass  bellow,  he  plunged  headlong  through 
the  underbrush,  and  as  he  went,  with  his  voice  he  ran  the  gamut  up  and 
down,  working  in  some  beautiful  double  semi-quavers  and  long  drawn  out 
trills,  that  delighted  the  heart  of  the  boys.  A  hundred  and  fifty  yards  into 
the  woods  he  bore  off  to  the  left  and  began  describing  a  circle.  When  the 
circle  was  complete  he  began  narrowing  the  ring,  but  all  the  while  the  music 
was  growing  in  intensity  and  sweetness  from  the  hunter's  standpoint  until 
the  circle  became  quite  small.  At  the  first  notes  of  the  dog.  the  bovs  stood 
upon  the  top  of  the  fence,  the  better  to  see  the  outcome  of  the  supposed 
chase,  and  from  their  height  could  see  that  the  hound  was  circling  around 
a  sinkhole.  They  had  never  seen  such  manifestations  of  anger  from  the  dog. 
and  naturally  wondered  what  kind  of  an  animal  had  taken  refuge  there. 
The  dog  roared  'round  the  rim  of  the  sink  and  by  his  action  threatened  to 
go  down.  Presently  a  club  was  seen  to  rise  in  the  air  from  out  the  sink- 
hole, pass  the  dog  and  drop  beyond  him.  Then  another  and  another,  each 
passing  club  adding  new  zeal  and  additional  fury  to  the  hound's  attack. 

"The  boys  ran  toward  the  sink,  at  the  same  time  commanding  the  dog 
to  come  away.  He  retired  sullenly,  turning  at  times  and  threatening  to  charge. 
Repeated  scolding,  howexer.  pre\ented.  When  the  boys  first  came  near 
enough  they  could  see  only  a  brush  pile  and  paw-paw  bushes  in  the  sinkhole. 
but  after  peering  through  the  bushes  for  awhile,  a  black  face  was  discovered. 
One  of  the  boys  asked.  'What  are  you  doing  there?'  The  answer  came. 
'Nothing,  massa,  we  gives  up.  Jim  he's  sick  and  chillin'.  Its  no  use.'  Thev 
were  young  colored  men.  After  assurances  of  friendship,  one  of  the  darkies 
toltl  their  story.  About  a  month  or  six  weeks  before  they  had  made  a  Iireak 
for  freedom,  leaving  their  master  near  Franklin,  Tennessee,  worked  their 
way  up  through  that  state  and  Kentucky,  assisted  by  colored  people,  cross- 
ing the  Ohio  river  in  a  skiff,  and  had  been  helped  through  Indiana,  thus  far. 
by  friends  or  agents,  as  I  now  know,  of  the  Underground  Railroad.  .\n 
agent  of  the  road  had  come  from  near  Mooresville.  in  Morgan  countv.  across 
country  the  night  before  to  near  this  place,  when  daylight  overtook  them  be- 


PCTNAM    COLXTV.    IXDIAXA.  I99 

fore  thev  reached  the  station  where  they  intended  to  stop  for  the  day.  So 
thev  left  the  road  and  had  taken  slieiter  in  the  woods  as  we  have  seen,  until 
night  should  come  again. 

"The  bovs  soon  Iiail  their  confidence  and  the  spokesman  atided  that  they 
were  directed  to  tiie  house  of  our  neighbor,  and  at  nightfall  would  have 
safelv  made  their  wav  there.  The  other  one  was  sick.  Exposure  had  caused 
him  to  chill.  The  rain  during  the  day  had  wet  their  clothing,  which  made 
their  condition  very  unpleasant.  After  further  conversation,  the  boys  left 
them,  and  with  the  secret  safely  locked  in  their  breasts  went  to  the  house  of 
the  neighbor  mentioned  by  the  negro  and  told  him  of  their  adventure.  He 
was  not  at  all  surprised,  but  on  the  other  hand  had  been  greatly  troubled 
on  account  of  the  negroes'  failure  to  appear  before  daylight  that  morning 
as  expected.  Evidently  he  was  pleased,  but  made  the  boys  feel  the  importance 
of  keeping  the  matter  to  themselves.  That  night  the  refugees  were  piloted 
to  our  neighbor's  and  safely  lodgeil  in  the  garret  of  his  wash  house.  They 
were  fed  and  cared  for  three  or  four  days.  The  one  suttering  with  the  ague 
was  doctored  bv  our  neighbor  and  his  chills  broken.  Then  our  neighbor 
arranged  to  go  to  Parke  county  to  mill.  He  had  a  strong  prejudice  against 
flour  ground  bv  steam  power.  Water-mill  flour  was  much  better  and  there 
was  a  water  mil!  in  Parke  county  that  made  flour  just  to  his  notion.  So  to 
mill  he  went,  a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles  perhaps,  in  a  covered  wagon, 
with  considerable  hay.  proxisions  for  three  persons  and  one  sack  of  wheat. 
That  he  got  to  the  place  for  which  he  had  started,  I  am  assured,  but  that  he 
brought  anv  flour  on  his  return  trip  I  never  knew.  Fnit  he  told  the  writer  on 
his  return  that  the  colored  boys  were  in  good  hands.  Sometime  afterward  I 
learned  from  him  that  they  had  arrived  safel\-  in  Canada. 

"This  'unofficial  patriot"  moved  to  Putnam  county  in  1857.  He  came 
from  Ohio.  He  was  singular  in  many  respects.  He  made  a  wide  acquain- 
tance in  Putnam  county  in  a  few  years.  He  was  an  extensive  cattle  shipper 
at  one  tin^e.  He  appeared  austere  in  his  manner  to  many,  but  was  really 
verv  sxmpathetic.  Rugged  in  his  oi)inions,  he  may  have  made  some  enemies. 
But  our  neighbor  had  much  to  commend  him.  and  no  one  thing  had  so  much 
to  do  with  the  good  opinion  of  the  writer  as  the  fact  that  he  was  an  agent  of 
the  Underground  Railroad.  He  was  one  of  the  active  agents  of  a  system 
that  was  hated  anrl  despised  by  many,  and  was  under  ban  of  the  law.  At 
that  time  manv  of  the  people  of  Putnam  county  were  like  the  hound  I  tell 
about  in  one  respect.  They  were  read}-  and  anxious  to  pounce  upon  a  run- 
awa\"  "nigger.'  Negroes  were  propert}'  and  the  hound  manifested  only  the 
zeal  of  some  of  the  higher  animals,  who  had   read  the  decision  of  Chief 


200  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

Justice  Taney,  making  them  the  hunters — under  heavy  penalties  for  non-per- 
formance— of  negroes  on  their  road  to  freedom. 

"As  early  as  i860  Putnam  county  had  at  least  one  'unofficial  patriot.' 
and  his  name  was  Parker  S.  Browder. 

"The  leaven  was  doing  its  work.  John  Brown's  body  was  mouldering 
in  the  tomb,  but  his  soul  was  marching  on." 

But  to  the  credit  of  the  people  of  Putnam  county  be  it  said  that  although 
a  majority  of  them  originated  in  Kentucky,  yet  in  the  main  they  were  de- 
cidedly unfriendly  to  slaver^^  In  fact  the  presence  of  the  few  colored  people 
who  were  here  prior  to  the  war  can  be  accounted  for  on  the  theorv  that  thev 
had  formerly  belonged  to  families  opposed  to  dealing  in  human  flesh  who,  to 
get  away  from  the  curse,  had  emigrated  to  the  free  state  of  Indiana  and 
had  permitted  a  few  of  the  old  servants,  who  with  childish  affection  clung 
to  them,  to  make  up  a  part  of  the  outfit  for  the  new  home. 

James  Townsend,  a  native  of  Maryland,  moved  hither  from  Morgan- 
field,  Kentucky,  in  1828.  settling  at  Putnamville.  He  freed  his  slaves  in 
Kentucky  and  told  those  who  wished  to  accompany  him  to  a  free  state  that 
he  would  take  them  to  Indiana  and  build  them  log  cabins  for  homes.  About 
eight  came  with  him.  "They  all  took  my  grandfather's  family  name,  Town- 
send,''  writes  James  T.  Layman.  "Luke  Townsend  and  his  wife  Charity  and 
Tom  Townsend  unmarried.  Old  grandmother  Sibley  Townsend  was  among 
those  who  went  from  Maryland  to  Kentucky  in  1808.  There  also  were 
Aunt  Hetty,  Aunt  Amy  and  one  we  called  'Yaller  Ann.'  I  remember  them 
all  very  well  as  they  were  about  my  mother's  home  every  day  and  I  used 
to  fill  old  Grandmother  Sibley's  pipe  w'ith  tobacco  for  her  before  the  fireplace 
when  she  was  past  ninety  years  of  age." 

Tamar  Peters  was  a  colored  woman  and  the  slave  of  James  Stevenson, 
father  of  Dr.  .\..  C.  Stevenson.  The  elder  Stevenson  brought  her  to  Ken- 
tucky from  his  birthplace  in  Alaryland.  Later  he  emigrated  to  this  countv 
from  Kentucky,  dying  in  1826.  Fi\e  years  afterwards  his  widow.  ^largaret 
Campbell,  rlicd.  Before  her  death  she  directed  that  Tamar  Peters  and  her 
family  i)e  freed  and  brought  to  Indiana.  Arriving  here,  they  were  cared 
for  by  Doctor  Stevenson.  The  family,  consisting  of  the  mother  and  five 
children,  were  industrious  and  thrifty  and  by  their  combined  labors  accum- 
ulated money  enough  to  buy  forty  acres  of  land  a  few  miles  southwest  of 
Greencastie.  In  1854  they  sold  their  farm,  went  to  Baltimore,  where,  under 
the  auspices  of  tlie  Emigration  Aid  Society,  they  shipped  for  Liberia.  It  is 
said  that  Aunt  Tamar  dietl  on  the  wav  and  was  buried  at  sea. 


PfTXAM     CnrXTV.    IXniAXA.  20I 

In  1850  an  old  colored  couple.  Tom  and  Agnes,  arrived  in  McMiroe  town- 
ship and  went  at  once  to  the  home  of  the  late  Col.  James  Fisk.  They  were 
formerly  slaves  and  belonged  to  the  latter's  father  in  Kentucky,  but  had  been 
given  their  freedom.  Having  grown  old  and  feeble.  Colonel  Fisk  had  directed 
them  to  be  sent  to  him  in  order  that  he  might  provide  for  them  during  their 
declining  years.  Shortly  after  their  arrival  some  of  the  neighbors  took 
ottense  at  the  presence  of  negroes  in  their  midst  and.  under  the  leadership 
of  William  McCray.  they  filed  an  affidavit  against  Colonel  Fisk  for  violating 
the  law-  which  forbade  the  harboring  of  a  negro.  The  case  was  tried  in 
Greencastle  and  much  feeling  was  aroused,  but  Tom  and  Agnes  were  not 
transported.  Thev  were  never  again  molested  but  continued  to  live  under  the 
care  and  benefactions  of  Colonel  Fisk  until  their  deaths  many  years  after- 
ward.    Both  of  them  are  buried  in  the  Brick  Chapel  cemetery. 

"One  of  the  colored  persons  that  I  remember  as  prominent  in  my  boy- 
hood davs."  relates  Thomas  C.  Hammond,  "was  named  Cato  Boyd.  He  was 
not  of  uncertain  color  by  any  means,  being  as  black  as  jet.  He  came  to  Put- 
nam county  early  in  the  thirties  and  had  originally  belonged  to  Crawford 
Cole.  He  was  a  sort  of  recluse,  living  entirely  to  himself  in  a  hut  about  two 
miles  northwest  of  Greencastle.  where  he  carried  on  the  business  of  charcoal 
burning.  When  I  first  knew  him  he  was  about  sixty  years  old  and  the  owner 
of  about  twenty  acres  of  land.  He  was  able  to  write  and  was.  to  some  extent, 
a  reader  of  books.  Another  notable  character  in  early  colored  circles  was 
an  old  darky  called  "Uncle  Henderson.'  He  roomed  for  a  long  time  in  David 
Hoagland's  wagon  shop  and  was  a  good-hearted  and  inoffensive  old  negro. 
He  worked  at  the  home  of  Dr.  Matthew  Simpson,  then  president  of  Asbury 
University,  and  was  a  great  favorite  w  ith  the  family.  One  day,  being  in  a 
hurrv  to  meet  an  engagement,  Mrs.  Simpson  directed  Henderson  to  take  a 
seat  at  the  dinner  table  with  herself  and  the  children.  When  John  M.  .Alli- 
son, one  of  the  trustees  of  Asbury  University,  and  a  Kentuckian,  heard  of 
this  he  was  greatlv  incensed  and  was  so  loud  and  ungenerous  in  his  criticism 
of  Doctor  Simpson  and  kept  up  such  a  tirade  of  censure  that,  it  is  said,  the 
latter  finally  became  disgusted  and  resigned  the  presidency  of  the  university. 

THE    CIX'II.    WAR. 

The  assault  u\)nn  Fort  Sumter  by  the  Confederate  government  at 
Charleston  in  April.  iSfSi.  was  not  a  surprise  to  the  people  of  Putnam  county. 
For  many  weeks  prior  thereto,  the  editor  of  the  Putnaui  County  Banner  had 
been  preparing  his  readers  for  the  inevitable  clash  which  had  long  been  pre- 


202  WEIKS    HISTORY    OF 

dieted.  This  preparation  consisted  of  a  number  of  articles  in  the  succeeding 
issues  of  the  paper,  commencing  shortly  after  the  beginning  of  the  year,  writ- 
ten by  Dr.  A.  C.  Stevenson  and  entitled  "Thoughts  on  Secession."  The 
writer  handled  the  delicate  question  in  a  very  skillful  and  adroit,  but  careful 
manner.  He  shrank  from  the  dreadful  alternative  of  war  and  even  pointed 
out  wa\'s  bv  which  the  momentous  question  then  disturbing  the  country  could 
be  settled  without  resorting  to  bloodshed.  But  all  these  speculations  were 
shattered  when  the  news  reached  Greencastle  on  the  morning  of  Friday,  the 
1 2th  of  April.  1 86 1,  that  General  Beauregard  had  fired  the  first  hostile  shot  at 
Fort  Sumter.  Instantly  the  entire  community  was  aroused.  By  noon  a 
crowd  had  gathered,  to  whom  Col.  John  A.  Matson  made  a  stirring  and  pa- 
triotic appeal  in  behalf  of  the  Union.  On  the  Monday  following,  an  immense 
and  enthusiastic  crowd  gathered  before  the  court  house  for  the  purpose  of 
arranging  for  the  enlistments  of  such  persons  as  were  willing  to  join  the 
army  in  response  to  the  President's  call  for  seventy-fi\e  thousand  volunteers. 
Alreadv  Col.  Lewis  H.  Sands  had  opened  a  recruiting  office  in  Greencastle  for 
the  purpose  of  enlisting  volunteers.  "A  number  of  young  men  have  already 
enlisted,"  says  the  Banner,  "and  many  more  will  do  so  as  soon  as  they  have 
an  opportunity.  Old  Putnam,  ever  loyal  to  the  government,  will  send  up  but 
one  voice  and  that  will  be  in  favor  of  the  enforcement  of  the  laws  of  the 
country  and  the  maintenance  of  the  Union  as  it  is."  At  the  meeting  held  in 
the  court  house.  Colonel  Sands  was  called  to  the  chair  and  addressed  the  audi- 
ence in  a  few  brief  and  pointed  remarks  in  favor  of  upholding  the  flag  of  his 
country.  Capt.  John  Osborn.  of  Clay  county,  was  present  and.  being  called 
for,  responded  in  a  fervid  and  ringing  appeal  to  stand  by  the  Union.  Speeches 
were  also  made  bv  H.  J.  Hilton,  A.  L.  ]\Iorrison,  Doctor  Cowgill,  Marshall -.\. 
Moore  and  others.  Beneath  large  and  conspicuous  headlines,  the  Banner  pub- 
lished the  President's  proclamation  calling  for  volunteers  and,  in  the  adjoin- 
ing column,  the  following  vigorous  and  fervid  editorial : 

''Shall  American  soldiers  be  permitted  to  perish  with  famine?  Shall 
they  be  pennitted  to  starve  whilst  they  bear  aloft  the  flag  of  their  country 
amidst  traitors  who  will  rend  it  in  shreds  and  trample  it  under  foot?  Xo! 
answers  everv  lover  of  his  country.  Xo!  says  every  lover  of  freedom. 
Everv  lover  of  free  speech,  a  free  press,  and  freedom  of  worship,  answers 
Xo!  Everv  lover  of  courage  cries.  'Supply  them.'  and  every  patriot  cries. 
'Feed  them  at  all  hazards.'  Traitors  alone  cry,  'Starve  them!  starve  them!' 
If  the  spirits  of  the  good  and  the  just  and  the  patriotic  take  cognizance  of 
transactions  of  this  world,  we  may  well  imagine  the  'Father  of  his  Country' 
and  his  compatriots  of  the  Revolution  taking  a  lively  interest  in  this  scene. 


PUTNAM    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  2O3 

as  they  look  forth  from  the  windows  of  heaven.  There  floats  the  flag  of 
their  country.  The  Bag  under  which  they  marched  to  battle  and  to  victory, 
and  to  the  establishment  of  their  country's  independence.  In  its  folds  nestles 
the  American  eagle.  On  its  face  it  bears  the  stars  and  the  stripes.  A  small 
band  of  brave  men  continue  to  defend  it.  An  hundred  traitorous  palmetto 
tiags  surround  it.  borne  by  rebel  hosts,  who  shout  demoniac  yells  in  hope  of 
certain  victorv-.  The  shouts  of  'Starve  them!  starve  them!'  reach  the  very- 
portals  of  heaven.  'Feed  them!'  cries  the  spirits  of  the  Revolution!  "Feed 
them!'  cries  the  'Father  of  his  Country!'  'Feed  them.'  cries  the  spirits  of 
departed  American  statesmen!  'Feed  them' !  cries  the  spirits  of  the  just  and 
good  from  all  lands !  This  government  will  not  be  lost  without  an  effort,  at 
least,  to  save  it.  Amid  all  the  gloom  and  secession,  there  have  been  a  few 
rays  of  hope.  .\  few  courageous  men  have  been  conspicuous.  In  the  very- 
midst  of  the  conspirators,  they  have  nobly  kept  the  stars  and  stripes  floating 
and  clung  to  the  constitution.  Like  the  fi.xed  stars,  they  have  shown  the 
brighter  on  account  of  the  gloom  by  which  they  were  surrounded.  They  have 
indeed  cheered  the  desponding  patriot  amidst  the  darkness  of  treason." 

STRONG    UNION    SENTIMENT. 

On  Saturdav.  April  20th.  a  mass  meeting  was  held  in  Greencastle  to 
arouse  the  Union  sentiment  of  the  county  and  to  encourage  enlistments  into 
the  amiy.  Early  in  the  morning  crowds  began  to  gather  from  the  country, 
guards  being  placed  at  the  four  corners  of  the  public  square  to  prevent  per- 
sons from  bringing  horses  inside.  At  nine  o'clock,  places  of  business  were 
all  closed  and  the  local  military  companies  drew  up  in  line  on  the  east  side 
of  the  court  house.  A  stand  was  erected  within  the  court  house  yard  from 
which  the  crowd  was  addressed  by  Col.  John  A.  .Matson,  D.  E.  Williamson. 
Capt.  John  Osborn  and  Capt.  W.  H.  Thornburgh.  The  principal  speaker  of 
the  day  was  Col.  R.  W.  Thompson,  who  had  come  o\er  from  Terre  Haute, 
and  who  made  a  deep  and  abiding  impression  upon  those  present  by  his  able. 
patriotic  and  eloquent  address  in  supix)rt  of  the  Union.  "Party  lines  in-this 
countrv,"  savs  the  Banner,  "are  obliterated.  Democrats.  Republicans  and 
Americans  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder  for  the  American  flag.  We  occasion- 
allv  hear  of  some  poor  miserable  devil  who  would  gladly  see  the  government 
go  to  ruin,  but  it  is  not  the  part  of  prudence  to  give  expression  to  such  senti- 
ments. Our  ])enple  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  are  two  sides  to 
the  question:  he  who  is  not  for  his  government,  is  against  it:  we  either  have 
a  government  or  we  have  not;  and.  with  praiseworthy  unanimity,  the  people 
of  old  Putnam  are  on  the  side  of  the  old  flag  and  the  old  constitution." 


204  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

By  Monday,  April  22nd,  the  first  company  of  Putnam  county  patriots, 
to  offer  their  services  in  behalf  of  the  Union,  left  for  Indianapolis.  They 
^vere  called  the  Union  Guards  and  were  under  the  command  of  Capt.  William 
Conkliii.  Speaking  of  their  departure,  the  Banner  says,  "They  were  escorted 
to  the  depot  by  the  Asbury  Guards.  It  was  indeed  a  trying  scene  to  see  so 
many  friends  bid  farewell  to  each  other,  parting  with  friends  perhaps  forever. 
Yet,  amid  all  these  mourning  scenes,  they  gave  rousing  cheers  for  the  Union 
and  the  flag  of  our  countr\-.  Our  blessings  go  with  them,  and  may  they  not 
forget  that  anxious  friends  and  relatives  at  home  will  eagerly  watch  their 
efforts  in  favor  of  the  right."  Another  company,  called  the  Asbury  Guards, 
left  for  Indianapolis  on  Wednesday.  It  was  made  up  mainly  of  students,  and 
was  commanded  by  Capt.  John  R.  Mahan.  The  outburst  of  patriotism  on 
the  part  of  the  students  was  remarkable.  The  Banner  says:  "Our  college 
at  this  place  is  almost,  if  not  totally,  broken  up  in  consequence  of  the  absence 
of  the  students  who  have  volunteered  and  gone  into  battle  in  defense  of  their 
country." 

The  patriotic  men  at  home  formed  themselves  into  another  company 
called  the  Home  Guards.  They  were  made  up  of  men  who  were  either  too 
old  for  service  in  the  field,  or  for  some  other  good  reason  unable  to  leave  their 
homes.  Speaking  of  the  company,  the  Banner  says  :  "The  Greencastle  Home 
Guards  met  on  Monday  evening,  pursuant  to  adjournment,  and  resolved  to 
divide  the  company  into  two  divisions,  the  active  and  sedentary.  The  duty 
of  the  active  to  drill  and  equip  themselves  and  the  duty  of  the  sedentan-  to 
hold  themselves  in  readiness  for  any  emergency  that  the  circumstances  might 
hereafter  warrant.  The  enrollment  of  the  active  then  commenced  and  in  less 
than  ten  minutes  one  company  of  seventy-five  were  enrolled  and  ready  for 
drill.  The  officers  were:  Captain.  R.  W.  Jones;  first  lieutenant,  James  Hop- 
kins ;  second  lieutenant,  J.  H.  Kinkead :  third  lieutenant.  C.  J.  Ashton ;  order- 
1}"  sergeant.  H.  C.  Munson:  ensign,  Daniel  Riggs:  chairman  of  the  executive 
committee.  Jacob  Durham."  The  Banner  says :  "The  recruiting  office  of  the 
guards  is  at  the  store  of  Messrs.  Jones.  The  first  drill  of  the  companv  came 
oft'  on  last  Friday  evening  in  the  college  campus.  We  hope  when  our  state 
shall  have  supplied  her  troops  with  arms,  that  they  will  send  us  something 
suitable  to  drill  with  if  nothing  else.  The  unifonn  adopted  by  this  companv 
is  a  red  hunting  shirt  and  gray  military  cap." 

FIRST   PUTX.VM    COUNTY  SOLDIERS   IN    SERVICE. 

On  reaching  Indianapolis,  the  Union  Guards  were  mustered  into  the 
I'nited  States  service  for  a  period  of  ninety  days  from  April  26th.  as  Com- 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  205 

pany  H.  Tenth  Regiment  Indiana  \'oIunteers.  It  will,  of  course,  be  too  great 
a  task  to  attempt  to  mention  the  name  of  each  soldier  from  Putnam  countv 
who  enlisted  into  the  Union  army.  But  as  the  Union  Guards  were  the  first 
troops  from  Putnam  county  whose  services  were  accepted,  it  will  not  be  out 
of  place  to  record  here  tiieir  names.  William  Conklin  was  the  captain:  E.  R. 
Bladen,  first  lieutenant,  and  David  X.  Steele,  second  lieutenant.  D.  C.  Don- 
nohue  was  the  quartennaster  sergeant  of  the  regiment.  Ostrander  Dicks, 
William  E.  Yelton.  Harrison  Wright  and  Samuel  N.  Rogers  were  sergeants 
of  the  company;  Marshall  A.  Moore,  Lycurgus  Stoner,  John  W.  Baker  and 
Adam  Jones,  corporals ;  James  S.  Conklin  and  Arthur  M.  Walls,  musicians. 
The  privates  were:  Eli  Barnes.  Daniel  Battison.  James  M.  Bladen,  Franklin 
Bladen,  William  H.  Bruner,  Samuel  R.  Browning.  Henry  F,  Brown,  Irani 
Burnett,  George  T.  Chapin,  Frederick  Cheszeski,  Ezra  L.  Clewaters,  James  H. 
Collins,  John  S.  Coffman,  John  W,  Cooper,  Alford  Dicks,  William  Eakin, 
Henry  Earp.  Nathan  C.  Fuller,  John  Gibb,  Lorenzo  A,  Gibbs,  Peter  Gross, 
William  F.  Hadden.  Marion  Hamlin,  John  W.  Hardin,  Benjamin  E.  Hardin, 
Stephen  S.  Harvey,  Clinton  M.  Hansier.  Philo  C.  Hawley.  William  Hitton, 
Volney  P.  Huston,  John  Hughes,  Franklin  James,  Thomas  J.  James.  George 
M.  Jones.  John  Kinder,  David  Kiser.  George  Kling.  Fielding  Lamasters.  John 
F.  Lane.  Robert  Lane.  John  W.  Lee.  Franklin  J.  Moore.  Tilghman  Moore. 
William  Myers,  Henry  H.  McCray,  James  H.  McGill.  Jacob  C.  Mcllvain, 
Calvin  C.  McLain.  William  Parker,  Oliver  Rankin,  John  Russell,  Archelaus 
Scott,  Henry  Secrest,  Jacob  Smith,  Alonzo  Vancleave,  William  I.  Warde, 
Francis  A.  Watson,  Elijah  White,  George  \\'.  White.  William  F.  \Vhite. 
David  L.  Willson.  Herman  H.  Wolfrom.  William  Wright. 

Of  this  company,  the  only  death  in  the  ser\'ice  was  tliat  of  Tames  H. 
McGill.  who  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Rich  Mountain.  \'irginia.  and  died 
July  27.  1861.  His  body  reached  Greencastle  August  the  31st  and.  as  he 
was  the  first  Putnam  county  soldier  who  had.  up  to  that  time,  lost  his  life  in 
the  cause  of  the  L'nion.  he  was  buried  with  all  the  honors  of  war.  The  fun- 
eral took  place  at  three  o'clock  Sunday  afternoon  in  the  college  campus.  The 
funeral  sermon,  a  very  timely  and  eloquent  discourse,  was  delivered  bv  Dr. 
Thomas  Bowman,  president  of  Aslniry  L'niversity.  .An  immense  concourse 
of  people  turned  out  to  pay  their  last  respects  to  the  honored  dead.  Several 
militarv  companies  were  present  in  full  uniform  and  escorted  the  remains  to 
the  cemetery. 

C.\RE    FOR    soldiers'    FAMILIES. 

The  loyalty,  co-operation  and  unity  of  action  on  the  part  of  the  niaiontv 
of  the  people  of  Putnam  county  during  the  dark  and  troubled  xears  of  the 


2o6  weik's  history  of 

war  can  not  well  be  overlooked  by  the  faithful  and  conscientious  historian. 
As  soon  as  the  first  company  of  soldiers  had  left  Putnam  county  for  the  war, 
the  citizens  of  Greencastle,  Bainbridge.  RusselKille,  Putnamville  and  other 
towns  in  the  county  began  to  arrange  for  the  care  and  support  of  the  families 
at  home  whose  husbands  and  brothers  and  sons  had  gone  to  the  front.  Within 
ten  days  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter.  Jacob  Durham,  as  a  member  of  the 
committee  appointed  for  the  purpose,  published  a  notice  in  the  papers  solicit- 
ing contributions  in  goods  or  provisions  for  the  support  of  the  needy  families 
of  the  volunteer  soldiers.  The  Banner  of  this  period  teems  with  editorials 
and  appeals  along  the  same  lines,  as  the  following  will  indicate : 

"As  is  frequently  the  case,  many  of  the  most  patriotic  and  Union-loving 
citizens  in  the  country  are  men  in  humble  circumstances  in  life.  Of  this  class, 
in  our  own  midst,  a  number  having  families  have  volunteered  in  defense  of 
their  country's  flag:  and  upon  a  few  moments'  notice  have  left  all  they  hold 
dear  upon  earth,  aside  from  liberty,  in  care  of  those  who  remain  at  home. 
It  is,  then,  the  duty  of  our  citizens  to  amply  provide  for  their  wants.  For 
this  purpose,  the  citizens  of  Greencastle  have  liberally  subscribed  money ;  but 
there  are  many  friends  in  the  country — farmers,  for  instance — whose  means 
are  mostly  in  produce.  Of  such,  any  kind  of  country  produce  will  be  received 
the  same  as  money.  Flour,  bacon,  meal,  or  any  other  article  of  family  con- 
sumption may  be  left  at  the  mayors  office,  the  receipt  of  which  will  be  thank- 
fully accepted,  properly  applied  and  gratefully  acknowledged.  Let  us  all  bear 
our  proportion  of  the  burden-brought  upon  us  by  those  who  are  endeavoring 
to  usurp  the  liberties  transmitted  us  by  our  forefathers." 

ENLISTMENTS   FROM    PUTN.XM   COUNTY. 

The  war  spirit  was  general  throughout  the  county.  Companies  sprang 
up  in  almost  every  township  and  neighborhood.  Until  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service,  they  were  simply  home  guards  organized,  if  need  be, 
for  local  defense.  Here  are  a  few  names :  Ellsworth  Grays,  Warren  Union 
Guards,  Bourbon  Grays,  Enfield  Rovers,  the  Floyd  Township  Home  Guards, 
Allen's  Battery.  Franklin  Guards,  Putnam  Blues,  Jefferson  Cavalry.  Marion 
Scouts,  Jackson  Guards. 

In  view  of  the  large  number  of  soldiers  credited  to  the  county,  it  will 
obviously  be  out  of  the  question  to  expect  a  record  of  their  individual  names. 
The  only  thing,  therefore,  our  limited  space  will  allow  is  a  list  of  the  various 
military  organizations  which  included  any  material  per  cent  of  Putnam  countv 
enlistments. 


PUTNAM    COLXTV,    INDIANA.  lOJ 

As  already  stated,  one  company  of  the  Tenth  Regiment  was  confined  en- 
tirely to  Putnam  county  volunteers.  There  was  also  a  goodlv  number  from 
this  county  in  the  Eleventh  Regiment,  of  which  -Lew  Wallace  was  the  colonel. 
Company  D.  Fourteenth  Regiment,  was  composed  entirely  of  enlistments  from 
Putnam  county.  The  same  is  true  of  Company  E,  Twenty-first  Regiment — 
First  Heavy  Artillen.-.  Putnam  county  was  also  well  represented  in  the 
Eighteenth  and  Twentieth  Batteries  Light  Artillery,  of  which  Eli  Lillv  and 
^lilton  A.  Osborn.  respectively,  were  captains.  Two  companies,  A  and  I. 
Twenty-seventh  Regiment,  one  of  the  few  Indiana  regiments  that  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  were  made  up  almost  entirely  of  men  from  Put- 
nam county.  Putnam  county  was  well  represented  in  the  Thirty-first  Regi- 
ment, of  which  John  Osborn.  formerly  a  citizen  of  the  county,  was  the  colonel. 
The  lieutenant-colonel.  William  L.  Farrow,  and  several  other  regimental 
officers  and  two  companies,  B  and  H,  of  the  Forty-third  Regiment,  hailed 
from  Putnam  county.  Companies  K  and  D  of  the  Fifty-fifth  Regiment  were 
made  up  of  Putnam  county  soldiers,  as  also  Company  C  of  the  Seventv-first 
Infantry  and  Company  F  of  the  Si.xth  Cavalry.  The  lieutenant-colonel  and 
two  companies.  A  and  B,  Seventy-eighth  Infantr\-,  were  from  Putnam  countv. 
Company  D.  Xinety-se\enth  Infantn.-.  under  the  command  of  Capt.  J.  J. 
Smiley,  was  composed  of  soldiers  from  the  county.  Companv  I.  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifteenth  Infantry.  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third,  and 
Company  F.  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-third,  were  all  from  Putnam  countv. 
All  in  all.  over  two  thousand  men  from  Putnam  county  entered  the  military 
service  during  the  Civil  war. 

As  in  all  other  wars,  many  of  those  who  enlisted  as  privates  and  served 
as  non-commissioned  officers  were,  by  reason  of  efficiency,  or  as  the  result 
of  gallantry  in  action,  promoted  to  higher  and  more  responsible  stations.  Of 
her  soldiers,  both  privates  and  commissioned  officers,  Putnam  county  is  justly 
proud,  for  on  every  occasion  their  conduct  was  creditable  and  praiseworthy. 
It  is  no  disparagement  to  the  many  brave  and  worthy  soldiers  who  entered  the 
service  fn^ni  the  county  to  assert  that  John  R.  Mahan,  who  was  colonel  of  two 
regiments  and  on  more  than  one  occasion  a  brigade  commander,  was,  in  all 
probability,  the  most  prominent  and  successful  military  officer  the  countv  sent 
out.  Colonel  ]\[ahan  was  not  only  a  brave  and  competent  officer  but  a  man 
of  profound  judgment,  acknowledged  strength  and  great  resourcefulness. 
Being  a  natural  leader,  with  a  genius  for  organization,  he  was,  in  conse- 
quence, deeply  influential  with  Governor  Morton,  who  relied  upon  his  valor, 
discretion  and  ability  in  more  than  one  emergency.  William  L.  Farrow  and 
Abisha  L.  Morrison,  both  of  whom  were  colonels,  had  had  more  or  less  mili- 


2o8  weik's  history  of 

tary  experience  during  their  service  in  the  Mexican  war.  Courtland  C.  Mat- 
son,  whose  first  mihtary  lesson  was  learned  as  a  private  in  the  Asbury  Guards, 
enlisted  in  the  United  States  service  at  a  very  early  age,  rose  steadily  from 
promotion  to  promotion  until,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  in  command  of 
and  served  with  credit  as  colonel  of  his  regiment.  Probably  no  man  from  the 
countv  who  rose  no  higher  than  a  company  officer,  achieved  greater  distinction 
than  William  H.  Sherfey,  who  was  a  lieutenant  in  Company  D,  Ninety-seventh 
Regiment.  Soon  after  his  enlistment  he  was  transferred  to  the  signal  corps. 
He  rendered  brilliant  service  during  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  was  held  in 
high  esteem  bv  General  Sherman.  He  was  with  the  late  General  McPherson 
a  good  deal  during  the  engagements  around  Atlanta  and  was  one  of  the  few 
w'itnesses  of  that  gallant  officer's  untimely  death. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  a  number  of  volunteer  officers  were  appointed  to 
places  in  the  regular  army  of  the  United  States.  Among  them  were  James 
H.  Sands,  William  F.  Spurgin  and  Jesse  M.  Lee.  Sands  was  retired  many 
years  ago  by  reason  of  ill  health,  with  the  grade  of  captain,  and  is  now  living 
in  Tolono,  Illinois.  Spurgin  remained  in  the  service— being  for  many  years 
the  commissarv  at  the  West  Point  Military  Academy— until  shortly  after  the 
close  of  the  Spanish  war,  when  he  was  put  upon  the  retired  list  with  the  grade 
of  brigadier-general.  He  died  in  Kentucky  a  few  years  ago.  Jesse  M.  Lee, 
who  was  for  many  years  lieutenant  and  captain  in  the  Ninth  United  States 
Infantry,  spent  a  great  many  years,  after  the  war,  among  the  Indians  in  the 
west.  He  served  acceptably  in  Cuba  during  the  Spanish  war  and,  later,  with 
the  lamented  General  Lawton  in  the  Philippines.  He  was  with  our  troops  in 
China  during  the  Boxer  rebellion.  After  the  death,  in  line  of  duty,  of  Col- 
onel Li.scomb.  outside  the  walls  of  Pekin  the  cummand  of  the  regiment  fell 
upon  Lee  and  he  remained  at  its  head  until  the  end  of  that  campaign.  He 
bears  the  rare  distinction  of  having  fought  with  the  United  States  troops  in 
four  ditTerent  countries  and  in  three  dilterent  wars.  He  was  placed  upon 
the  retired  list  in  January,  1907,  with  the  rank  of  major-general.  He  is  still 
living  and  spends  a  great  portion  of  his  time  in  Greencastle. 

Of  course,  there  were  numerous  instances  of  gallant  deeds  and  military 
success  on  the  part  Dt  the  (ifhcers  and  soldiers  from  Putnam  county,  but  to 
sincrle  them  out  or  otherwise  go  into  details  would  absorb  much  space  in  this 
volume  intended  for  other  things.  In  ever}'  way  these  two  thousand  officers 
and  men  the  countv  had  furnished  reflected  great  credit  on  their  county,  their 
state  and  the  nation.  Their  ])rilliant  deeds  are  deeply  graven  on  the  hearts 
of  the  people  and  as  long  as  the  grasses  grow  and  the  waters  run  to  the  sea 
thev  will  not  be  forgotten. 


PUTXAM    COCNTV,    I.NDIAXA.  ^OQ 


RELIEF  MEASURES. 


Before  the  close  of  summer  in  1861  people  began  to  feel  the  stringency 
due  to  the  war.  Business  was  prostrated  and  values  greatly  depressed.  The 
withdrawal  of  the  many  men  from  their  usual  avocations  to  go  into  the  army 
left  their  families,  in  many  cases,  inadequately  provided  for  and  it  therefore 
became  the  duty  of  the  patriotic  public  at  home  to  lend  a  helping  hand.  To 
that  end.  therefore,  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  court  house  in  Greencastle  on 
Julv  25th.  of  which  B.  F.  Hays  was  chairman  and  J.  A.  Hill  secretary,  to  de- 
vise some  practical  anil  tangible  plan  to  alleviate  the  prevailing  distress. 
James  A.  Scott  was  the  principal  speaker  and  he  bore  heavily  on  the  landlords 
of  the  town  and  county,  insisting  that  a  reduction  in  rent.s — especially  where 
soldiers'  families  were  interested — be  made.  Appropriate  resolutions  on  the 
subject  were  adopted  and  a  committee  appointed  to  confer  with  the  landlords 
and  endeavor  to  induce  them  to  lower  rents.  The  committee  consisted  of  B. 
F.  Hays.  James  H.  Sands  and  Joseph  L.  Fordyce.  A  week  later  the  commit- 
tee reported  that  they  had  visited  .\.  M.  Lockridge.  J.  R.  M.  Allen.  Doctor 
Cowgill.  D.  M.  Spurgin.  George  Kramer,  Mrs.  Ellen  Matkins  and  John  S. 
Jennings,  who  had  agreed  in  writing  to  make  material  reductions  in  their  rents, 
while  certain  others  had  promised  to  do  likewise,  but  would  not  make  the 
promise  in  writing.  In  due  time  a  regular  organization  was  effected,  gov- 
erned by  a  committee  of  five,  called  the  Board  of  Control,  to  provide  for  the 
wants  of  the  soldiers'  families.  Depots  were  established  to  which  supplies 
were  to  be  sent  for  distribution  and  agents  were  selected  in  all  the  townships. 
The  Board  of  Control  in  Greencastle  consisted  of  E.  R.  Kercheval.  Jacob  Dur- 
ham. W.  D.  Allen.  Melvin  McKee  and  D.  L.  Southard.  The  township  repre- 
sentatives were  :  Jackson  township.  John  Gregory ;  Franklin  township.  Wasson 
and  Ram.sey.  Russell  township.  W.  H.  Durham:  Clinton  township.  Doctor 
John  Slavens:  !Monroe  township.  Wm.  T.  Scott:  Floyd  township.  Joseph 
Hanna:  ]\Iarion  township.  Wm.  D.  Smythe :  Greencastle  township.  Ben 
Pritchard;  Washington  township.  Volney  Smith:  Warren  township.  William 
L.  Walden :  Jefferson  township,  Thomas  Vermillion ;  Mill  Creek  township. 
David  A.  Blue :  Cloverdale  township.  Foster  and  McCoy. 

But  the  men  of  the  community  were  not  the  only  persons  who  were 
bestirring  them.selves  in  behalf  of  the  Union.  The  women  were  equally  pa- 
triotic and  zealous.  In  Greencastle  they  organized  what  was  called  the 
Sold'iers'  .\id  Society.  Mrs.  T.  W.  Williamson  was  president.  Mrs.  John 
Standi  ford,  vice-president.  Mrs.  Joseph  Sadd.  secretary,  and  Mrs.  John  A. 

(14) 


2IO  WEIKS    HISTORY    OF 

Matson,  treasurer.  Their  membership  exceeded  one  hundred.  They  met 
once  a  week  at  the  homes  of  the  various  members  and  were  busily  engaged  in 
making  gloves,  socks,  underclothing  and  other  items  for  the  comfort  and 
convenience  of  the  soldiers  in  the  field.  Not  only  in  Greencastle,  but  in  Bain- 
bridge.  Russellville,  Putnamville,  Cloverdale  and  other  towns  in  the  county 
came  a  response  equally  generous  and  unselfish.  People  suspended  their  vari- 
ous avocations,  closed  their  ears  to  the  demands  of  business  and  willingly 
suffered  themselves  to  be  engulfed  by  the  great  tide  of  patriotism  that  swept 
across  the  countn--.  There  was  nothing  too  arduous,  nothing  too  exacting 
that  thev  could  do  to  sustain  the  government  in  its  conduct  of  the  war.  The 
knowledge  that  there  were  heroes  and  patriots  back  at  their  homes  doing  all 
in  their  power  to  promote  the  cause  for  which  they  were  offering  up  their  lives 
was  the  stimulus  that  incited  the  boys  in  the  field  and  on  the  firing  line  to 
those  deeds  of  daring  sacrifice  and  heroic  devotion  which  so  richly  emblazon 
the  pages  of  history. 

"Some  eight  hundred  or  a  thousand  soldiers,"  says  the  Banner,  July  i6, 
1863,  "came  from  the  north  on  the  New  Albany  railroad  on  Saturday  last. 
They  arrived  at  the  depot  at  this  place  about  half  past  three  o'clock  P.  M., 
where  they  were  supplied  with  bounteous  refreshments  in  the  way  of  eatables 
hastily  prepared  on  short  notice  by  our  citizens.  Most  of  them  were  well 
armed  and  were  sturdy,  robust-looking  men.  A  large  portion  of  them  were 
in  charge  of  Colonel  Kise,  of  Boone  county,  and  many  of  them  appeared  to 
be  regular  soldiers  who  had  smelt  powder  before." 

Later  in  the  year  the  Banner  gives  great  space  to  "A  grand  rally  of  the 
loyal  people  of  Putnam  county,  including  a  military  review,  to  be  held  on 
October  2nd."  It  was  announced  that  Gen.  Lew  Wallace.  Gen.  Ebenezer 
Diimont,  Hon.  Godlove  S.  Orth  and  Hon.  T.  J.  Cason  would  address  the 
meeting.  The  various  companies  of  the  Loyal  Legion — artillery,  infantry 
and  cavalry — were  to  be  reviewed  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  by  Gen- 
erals Wallace  and  Dumont.  "The  review,"  says  the  Banner,  "was  held  in  the 
large  lot  immediately  east  of  the  College  campus  (where  East  College— De- 
Pauw  University — now  stands).  The  companies  present  were  the  Putnam' 
Blues,  Captain  Morrison ;  Allen's  Battery,  Captain  Allen :  Captain  Wampler's 
companv  from  Bainbridge :  Captain  Hawkins"  company  from  Carpentersville : 
Captain  Wilkinson's  company  from  Groveland.  and  a  company  of  cavalry 
commanded  by  Captain  Allee,  of  Jefiferson  township.  Captain  ^Morrison. 
being  the  senior  captain,  took  command  of  the  battalion  and  went  through 
the  exercise  of  mounting  guards,  battalion  drill  and  dress  parade.  The  troops 
were  encamped  at  the  fair  grounds,  southeast  of  town.     During  the  night  Dr. 


PUTNAM    COUXTY,    INDIANA.  211 

Josiah  H.  Robinson  entertained  the  boys  with  a  two-hour  speech  on  the  state 
of  the  country.  At  noon,  Friday,  they  struck  tents  and  marched  to  the  parade 
ground  east  of  the  college  campus  to  be  reviewed.  The  review  was  witnessed 
by  thousands  of  spectators,  who  manifested  a  deep  interest  in  the  proceedings. 
The  military  bearing  of  both  officers  and  men  and  the  precision  with  which 
every  movement  was  executed  was  worthy  of  veterans.  These  companies 
have  been  organized,  uniforaied  and  armed  since  Morgan's  raid  into  Indiana. 
Yet.  notwithstanding  the  few  weeks  that  they  have  been  receiving  military 
instruction,  they  have  attained  a  proficiency  that  would  render  them  equal 
to  any  emergency  that  might  arise.  Our  worthy  Governor  may  rest  satisfied 
that  old  Putnam  will  be  on  hand  if  called  for." 

OPPOSITION    TO    THE    WAR. 

But,  although  our  soldiers  were  doing  their  duty  at  the  front  and  al- 
though the  great  majority  of  people  at  home  were  unremitting  and  incessant 
in  their  endeavors  to  provide  for  the  loved  ones  the  soldiers  had  left  behind, 
there  was,  nevertheless,  an  element  in  our  citizenship  who  not  only  manifested 
no  approval  of  the  victories  and  successes  gained  by  our  soldiers  in  the  field, 
but  secretly  and  insidiously  sought  in  every  way  to  hinder  and  counteract 
the  good  accomplished  by  the  Union  arms.  There  are  reasons  why  the  storv 
of  this  opposition  to  the  war  at  home  might  be  omitted,  but,  unpleasant  though 
the  revelation  may  be.  there  is  no  alternative  on  the  part  of  the  faithful  and 
zealous  historian  but  to  give  all  facts. 

In  its  issue  of  June  i8,  1863,  the  following  appeared  in  the  Greencastle 
Banner:  "On  Sunday  last  an  armed  force  of  from  forty  to  fiftv  persons  in 
disguise  called  at  the  house  of  James  Sill,  the  enrolling  commissioner  of 
Marion  township,  and  demanded  the  enrolling  book.  Mr.  Sill  finally  gave 
them  what  appeared  to  be  the  list  he  had  just  taken,  but  which  were,  as  a 
fact,  the  enrollment  lists  of  1862,  copies  of  which  he  had  kept.  A  young  man 
named  Lawson  Fry,  while  leaving  the  house,  was  fired  at  by  one  of  the  party 
and  seriously  wounded  in  the  shoulder,  disabling  him  for  life.  General 
^lansfield  visited  Fillmore  and  the  immediate  neighborhood  on  Tuesday,  for 
the  purpose  of  inquiring  into  these  violations  as  well  as  to  consult  with  the 
leading  citizens  of  all  parties  in  reference  to  this  outrage  upon  the  law  of  the 
land."  In  the  same  issue  of  the  Banner  occurs  the  following:  "The  house 
of  Mr.  Scott,  who  is  also  an  enrolling  commissioner  in  Jefi^erson  township, 
was  visited  by  about  fifty  persons  with  faces  blackened  about  the  same  time 
of  the  night  and  his  enrollment  papers  were  demanded.     Finding  resistance 


212  WEIK  S     HISTORY    OF 

against  so  large  a  force  useless,  Mr.  Scott  gave  up  the  papers  to  the  cowardly 
mob,  which  were  doubtlessly  destroyed.  In  Madison  township,  Joseph  Sid- 
dons,  the  enrolling  commissioner,  has  been  threatened  by  four  men.  who 
represented  themselves  as  a  committee,  that  if  he  continued  the  enrollment, 
he  would  find  himself  a  dead  man  before  he  got  through.  In  Cloverdale 
township  the  book  of  the  enrolling  officer,  Mr.  Davis,  was  destroyed.  H.  T. 
Craig,  the  enrolling  officer  in  Monroe  township,  received  the  following  written 
notice :  'We,  the  undersigned,  will  give  you  our  advice.  You.  for  your  own 
good,  and  if  you  don't  lay  aside  the  enrolling,  your  life  will  be  taken  before 
tomorrow  night  and  you  had  better  take  our  advice  as  friends.  We  don't 
expect  to  interrupt  you,  but  we  ha\e  heard  men  threaten  venegance  against 
you,  that  sav  you  had  better  stay  at  home  and  you  had  better  take  our  advice 
and  stav  at  home.  From  your  friends.'  Mr.  Craig  commenced  enrolling, 
this  morning  regardless  of  the  above  advice,  but  several  refused  to  give  their 
names.  This  evening  a  committee,  the  foreman  of  which  was  our  county 
surveyor,  waited  upon  Mr.  Craig  and  requested  that  he  should  cease  enrolling 
at  the  peril  of  his  life."  In  its  editorial  column,  the  Banner  thus  deals  with 
a  political  speaker  who  had  shortly  before  spoken  in  Greencastle  and  whose 
opposition  to  the  further  prosecution  of  the  war  both  as  a  citizen  and  as  an 
oiScial  was  notorious  and  unconcealed:  "The  only  effect  of  all  the  speeches 
he  has  made  here  and  elsewhere  has  been  to  create  opposition  to  the  govern- 
ment in  its  effort  to  put  down  the  rebellion.  As  a  consequence,  we  have  or- 
ganized bands  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,  whose  avowed  object 
is  resistance  to  the  law  of  Congress  enrolling  the  militia  preparatory  to  a 
draft.  Men.  in  discharge  of  a  sworn  duty,  are  threatened  with  death  if  they 
do  not  desist  and  some  have  actually  been  intimated  by  threats  and  ceased 
their  work  of  enrollment  for  the  time.  The  work  will  go  on.  however.  The 
conscription  will  also  be  carried  out  and  those  who  are  endeavoring  to  obstruct 
its  operations  will  be  arrested  and  properly  punished." 

As  the  war  progressed  and  drafts  were  ordered  to  keep  the  ranks  sup- 
plied with  troops,  the  opposition  to  the  prosecution  of  the  war  began  to  show 
their  hands.  The  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle  were  well  represented  in 
rvfonroe,  Madison,  Clinton  and  certain  other  townships,  where  they  met  in 
the  woods  at  night,  were  well  supplied  with  amis  and  drilled  in  preparation 
for  the  great  uprising  in  the  North  which  was  expected,  but  which,  fortu- 
natelv.  never  came  a])out.  In  the  summer  of  1864  these  enemies  of  the  Union 
had  grown  bold  and  daring  to  the  point  of  recklessness.  At  a  political  meet- 
ing held  in  Greencastle  on  the  20th  of  July,  addressed  by  Joseph  E.  McDonald, 
the   Democratic  candidate   for  governor,  occurred   the   noted   and   cowardly 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  213 

assault  by  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle  mob  upon  Lieutenant  Cooper  of 
the  Forty-third  Regiment  and  that  officer's  dramatic  rescue  by  Aliss  Lou 
Walls,  at  the  door  of  the  Putnam  House,  into  which  Lieutenant  Cooper  had 
run  for  safety,  and  alluding  to  which  the  Banner  in  its  issue  of  July  28th 
says :  "'A  handsome  dress  was,  last  week,  presented  to  JMiss  Lou  Walls  by 
the  L'nion  boys  of  this  place  as  a  testimonial  of  their  respect  for  the  bravery 
she  displayed  in  defending  her  mother's  house  from  the  attacks  of  the  'Butter- 
nut' mob  on  the  20th,"  and  again,  in  August,  1864.  the  following:  ''A  report 
having  been  circulated  that  certain  interested  parties  had  paid  Mrs.  Nancy 
Walls,  owner  of  the  Putnam  House,  seventy  or  eighty  dollars  for  damages 
to  her  house,  that  lady  in  a  card  denies  that  any  such  sum  had  been  offered  her 
in  compensation  for  the  gross  indignity  and  wanton  and  unprovoked  outrage 
perpetrated  upon  her  house  as  well  as  her  family  by  the  "Butternut'  mob  on 
July  20th. 

"The  fact  is.  the  damage  done  Mrs.  Walls  and  the  insult  offered  herself 
and  family  are  irreparable;  and  the  means  resorted  to  by  certain  party  leaders 
for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  good  men  of  their  own  party  from  becoming 
disgusted  with  the  men  and  measures  that  sustain  themselves  by  shameless 
breaches  of  the  peace  and  by  assaults  upon  widows'  houses  for  no  other  offense 
than  gi\'ing  shelter  to  a  defenseless  Union  soldier  who  was  pursued  bv  an 
infuriated  mob,  are  not  at  all  commendable,  to  say  the  least  of  it." 

But  the  opposition  to  the  war  in  Putnam  county,  as  well  as  in  other  parts 
of  the  state,  had  now  reached  high-tide,  for,  shortly  after,  when  the  fall 
elections  began  to  indicate  an  overwhelming  and  triumphant  vindication  of 
Mr.  Lincoln's  administration  by  the  people,  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle 
and  all  other  such  malevolent  and  nefarious  movements  began  to  recede  and 
finally  disappeared  altogether  beneath  the  wave  of  patriotic  exultation  that 
swept  across  the  country. 

RELIEF  ST.\TISTIC.S. 

The  histoiy  of  Putnam  county  during  the  war  and  the  means  it  con- 
tributed to  carry  on  that  struggle  is  more  or  less  surprising  to  people  who  have 
never  before  reflected  upon  the  magnitude  of  the  figures.  The  adjutant- 
general  of  the  state,  in  his  report  published  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war, 
credits  Putnam  county  with  a  total  of  three  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  enlistments.  From  this  should  be  deducted  re-enlistments  of  soldiers 
who  at  first  volunteered  for  a  short  period  and  two  hundred  and  ten 
Neteran>  who  had  served  the  full  period  of  three  years  and  had  also   re- 


214  WEIKS    HISTORY    OF 

enlisted.  The  exact  figures  are  unavailable,  but  it  is  altogether  likely  that  the 
net  total  was  very  largely  in  excess  of  two  thousand.  From  the  same  report 
we  learn  the  figures  somewhat  in  detail.  The  county  itself  appropriated 
$10,000  towards  the  payments  of  bounties  for  soldiers  and  $1,025  for  the 
relief  of  soldiers'  families.  Jackson  township  paid  $54,265  for  bounties; 
Franklin.  $27,960  for  bounties ;  Russellville  township,  $38,000  for  bounties 
and  $6,000  for  relief;  Clinton,  $24,800  for  bounties;  Monroe,  $22,700  for 
bounties  and  $361  for  relief;  Floyd,  $28,950  for  bounties  and  $1,008  for 
relief;  Marion,  $40,500  for  bounties;  Greencastle,  $24,302  for  bounties  and 
$4,350  for  relief;  Madison,  $23,731  for  bounties  and  $82  for  relief;  Wash- 
ington, $57,381  for  bounties;  Warren,  $31,200  for  bounties  and  $3,000  for 
relief;  Jefferson,  $21,500  for  bounties  and  $132.65  for  relief;  Cloverdale, 
$25,000  for  bounties,  and  Mill  Creek,  $20,818  for  bounties.  The  adjutant- 
general  also  adds  an  additional  credit  of  $15,000  to  all  the  townships  for 
relief,  thus  making  a  total  of  $441,107  for  bounties  and  $28,260.65  ^O""  relief, 
or  a  grand  total  of  $469,367.65. 

soldiers'  monument. 

The  war  had  no  sooner  closed  than  the  loyal  people  of  Putnam  county 
began  to  cast  about  for  some  means  by  which  they  could  testify  their  regard 
for  and  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  brave  men  from  this  county  who  had 
gone  to  the  front  and  given  up  their  lives  in  defense  of  the  Union.  After 
several  informal  preliminary  meetings  were  held,  an  organization  under  the 
name  of  "The  Putnam  County  Soldiers  Monument  Association,"  was  effected 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  monument  in  the  memon,'  of  the  loyal  dead. 
Col.  John  R.  Mahan  was  chosen  president,  William  D.  Allen,  treasurer,  and 
David  W.  Jones,  secretar^^  After  a  brief  and  vigorous  canvass  throughout 
the  count}',  the  requisite  amount  of  funds  was  raised  by  popular  subscription. 
Thomas  D.  Jones,  a  sculptor  of  Cincinnati,  was  engaged  and  in  due  time 
the  structure  was  built. 

"The  design  of  the  monument."  says  another.  "  is  artistic  and  beautiful. 
Above  the  foundation  the  pedestal  rises  to  the  height  of  eight  feet,  a  portion 
of  which  is  handsomely  paneled,  upon  which  the  names  of  the  deceased 
soldiers  are  inscribed.  Surmounting  the  pedestal  or  main  body  of  the  monu- 
ment in  a  statue  of  heroic  size  representing  a  soldier  and  regarded  by  many 
as  the  most  faithful  and  successful  portrayal  of  the  volunteer  soldier  thus  far 
acliieved  in  the  countrv." 


PUTNAM     COUXTY,    IXDIAXA.  215 

This  impressive  work  of  art  stands  on  the  crest  of  the  "crowning  emi- 
nence" in  Forest  Hill  cemetery,  south  of  the  city  of  Greencastle.  and  commands 
one  of  the  finest  views  in  the  county.  It  was  dedicated  July  2,  1870,  the 
address  on  that  occasion  having  been  delivered  by  the  late  Richard  W.  Thomp- 
son, of  Terre  Haute.  Further  speeches  were  delivered  by  Governor  Conrad 
Baker  and  Delano  E.  Williamson,  of  Greencastle.  at  that  time  attorney-gen- 
eral of  Indiana.  Several  tiiousand  people  were  present,  including  delegations 
from  Indianapdlis.  Terre  Haute  and  other  adjacent  places. 

spA^'ISII-A^rERICA^'  war. 

When  the  war  with  Spain  broke  out  Putnam  county,  with  her  usual 
promptitude,  responded  with  a  company  of  volunteers.  When  enlisted  at 
Indianapolis,  on  April  26.  1898.  they  were  assigned  to  the  One  Hundred" 
Fifty-ninth  Regiment  Indiana  \'olunteers  and  known  as  Company  I.  Two  of 
those  who  thus  earlv  offered  their  services.  Dr.  Eugene  Hawkins  and  James 
F.  Fee.  were  appointed  to  positions  on  the  regimental  staff,  the  one  major,  the 
other  assistant  surgeon.  The  company  ofificers  were :  Wilbur  F.  Starr,  cap- 
tain; Charles  F.  Donnohue.  first  lieutenant:  Benton  Curtis,  second  lieutenant; 
James  O.  Rhea,  first  sergeant;  Harn.-  D.  Graham,  quartermaster;  William 
Conklin.  sergeant;  Joel  H.  Richardson.  Luther  Sackett.  Fred  Smith.  Frank  L. 
Bridges,  corporals;  Fred  C.  Gobin.  lance  corporal;  Fred  Starr,  musician; 
Fred  Smythe,  artificer:  Lewis  Alkine.  cook;  Fred  A.  Payton.  wagoner.  Pri- 
vates :  Earl  Lane.  Harry  Landes.  Harr\'  G.  Kennett.  Earl  Fisk,  Samuel 
Stewart.  Ralph  Cooper,  Edward  Lawson.  James  ?iIoss.  Edgar  E.  E\-ens,  Wil- 
liam Reed.  Alonton  Springer.  Lawrence  Allen.  John  A.  Bartl,  Edwin  Black. 
Francis  Blakely.  William  S.  Blue.  ]\lillard  M.  Bowen,  Edward  Brockway, 
Oscar  E.  Brown,  George  A.  Brackney.  Thomas  S.  Beachbard,  Roy  Bennett, 
Charles  Conklin,  Harry  Conklin,  George  P.  Corn,  Oscar  Cosner.  John  Curetor, 
Daniel  Donnohue,  Albert  Dunn,  Henry  C.  Dale.  Clarence  F.  Davison,  Irvin 
E\ens.  Walker  E.  Evens.  Hansell  Farmer,  Roy  Fowler.  Scott  Galey,  Orestes 
(iarrett.  \\'illiam  Gifford.  Oscar  Gill.  Charles  Green.  William  I.  Grooms, 
Herscliel  Hall.  Allen  Harleman.  Harry  Hawkins.  Richard  Hazelett.  Lilben 
Hepler.  George  Hibhitt.  James  Hill.  Edward  Flillis,  Samuel  E.  Hathaway, 
James  W.  Hensley.  John  W.  Hitt.  Flenry  Irvin.  John  Irwin.  \^'.  H.  Iry, 
Everett  Jones,  William  Jones.  Edward  Lane.  Philip  Lane.  Ralph  Lnmston. 
Ernest  Middleton.  Harry  E.  ]\Ionce.  William  !\IcCoy.  James  McCorkey.  W.  A. 
McFadden.  Owen  L.  Xelson.  James  E.  Xewgent,  Arthur  AI.  Xewton.  William 
Xewton,  Lee  Paxton,  Allen  Payne.  Joseph  Pearson,  .\lbert  G.  Preston.  Charles 


2i6  weik's  history  of 

W.  Reeves.  Edward  Russell.  Homer  E.  Reeves.  Shirley  Reeves,  William  Reed. 
Joel  H.  Reynolds.  William  Roberts.  Charles  H.  Sanders.  John  G.  Sourwine, 
John  L.  South.  Lee  T.  Schaffer.  Clay  Sellers.  William  Shoemaker,  Will  R. 
Steel.  Paul  J.  Tucker.  True  Thomas.  Charles  Wills,  Artie  F.  Williams.  Frank 
Wilson.  William  Bates  Tucker.  Thomas  Tuttle,  Arthur  J.  Yeamans. 

GRAVES  OF  REVOLUTIOX.XRY  SOLDIERS. 

Recently  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  in  Greencastle  have 
undertaken  to  locate  the  graves  of  all  the  Revolutionary  soldiers  who  have 
died  and  are  buried  in  the  county.  \\'hen  the  list  of  names  and  full  military 
history  of  these  early  patriots  is  complete  the  same  will  be  inscribed  in  a 
bronze  tablet  which  is  to  be  erected  in  the  rotunda  of  the  court  house.  Thus 
far  the  following  names  and  data  have  been  secured  : 

Isnac  Amistrong.  belonged  to  Virginia  militia:  was  in  battles  of  Hot 
\Vater  and  Jamestown;  born  July.  1762.  Augusta.  Virginia:  applied  for  pen- 
sion in  Putnam  county  in  1837. 

\\'illiam  Banks,  sergeant,  in  Capt.  James  Pamplain's  companv.  Colonel 
Richardson's  regiment  Virginia  militia;  bom  Culpeper  county,  Virginia,  July 
23,  1762:  died  in  Putnam  county.  Indiana.  September  5.  1839. 

Jonathan  Byrd. 

John  Bartee. 

John  Buck,  private,  sergeant  and  lieutenant.  Captain  ^NlcConnell's  com- 
pany. Colonel  Laughrey's  regiment  Pennsylvania  volunteers :  taken  prisoner 
by  the  Indians  and  retained  four  months :  engaged  in  two  battles  in  New- 
York:  born  in  Hanover.  Europe.  1752:  applied  for  pension  in  Putnam  county, 
April  24.  1834. 

Charles  Bowen.  ser\ed  more  than  two  }-ears  in  Xorth  Carolina  and  Vir- 
ginia regiments:  was  in  battle  of  King's  Mountain:  enlisted  at  Crab  Orchard, 
Virginia:  born  on  James  river.  September.  1749  :  was  living  in  Putnam  countv, 
Indiana,  in  1834. 

William  Brown. 

William  Cornwall. 

Nathaniel  Cunningham.  September.  1776.  prixate  Capt.  Robert  Ballard's 
company.  Col.  Patrick  Henry's  regiment  Virginia  volunteers;  1778.  trans- 
ferred to  General  \\'ashington's  Life  Guard:  in  battles  of  Trenton.  Princeton. 
Brandywine.  ]\Iouniouth  and  Gates'  defeat:  applied  for  pension  Randol])h 
count}'.  Xiirth  Carolina.  Ma}'  6.  iSr8.  aged  sixty-four  years:  died  in  Putnai'n 
countv,  Indiana,  August  I'x  i8;2. 


PUTNAM    COIXTY.    INDIAXA.  -1/ 

Samuel  Dennv,  born  August  jS.  1755.  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania; 
served  fourteen  months  between  1778-81  in  Col.  John  Smith's  regiment  Vir- 
ginia volunteers;  was  in  battles  of  Brandywine  and  Gemiantown;  enlisted  at 
Frederick  county.  X'irginia;  applied  for  pension  in  Putnam  county.  Indiana. 
April  23.  1835. 

Jacob  Grider. 

Silas  Hopkins. 

Laban  Hall,  served  about  two  years,  between  1775  and  1778,  in  New 
Hampshire  regiment  under  Colonels  Hale  and  Chase;  was  at  Ticonderoga  ;  ap- 
plied for  pension  April  7.  i8r8.  at  Chelsea.  Orange  county.  Vermont;  sixty- 
three  vears  old;  died  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  September  9,  1842. 

George  Hammer.  April,  1 781.  to  February.  1782,  private  Capt.  Michael 
Trautman's  company.  Col.  John  Gregor's  regiment.  Maryland  mihtia;  born 
near  Philadelphia.  May  4.  1763;  applied  for  pension  in  Putnam  county,  In- 
diana. October  5,  1832. 

Thomas  Jones,  enlisted  in  fall  of  1775  for  three  years  in  Captain  Fon- 
taine's company.  Colonel  Stevens'  regiment  \'irginia  militia;  in  battles  of 
Brandywine  and  Germantown;  applied  for  pension  in  Mercer  county.  Ken- 
tuckv.  July  7.  1818;  resided  in  Putnam  county.  Indiana.  1832. 

Joseph  LaFollette.  Sr. 

John  McHaffie. 

William  McGahey.  enlisted  Carlisle.  Pennsylvania,  for  two  years  in  a 
Pennsylvania  regiment;  applied  for  pension  Bath  county.  Kentucky,  June  17. 
1818;  fifty-five  years  old;  moved  to  Putnam  county.  Indiana.  1826. 

Andrew  McPheeters.  bom  March  22,  1761.  Chester  county.  Pennsyl- 
vania; served  three  years  in  Pennsylvania  and  North  Carolina  regiments,  hav- 
ing enlisted  at  Chester  county.  Pennsylvania,  and  Guilford.  North  Carolina; 
applied  for  pension  August  22,  1832.  Granger  county,  Tennessee;  lived  in 
Putnam  county.  Indiana,  in  1834. 

Benjamin  Mahomey.  bom  Fauquier  county.  Virginia;  March.  1779. 
to  October.  1780.  in  Colonel  Buford's  Third  \'irginia  regiment;  applied  for 
pension.  Oldham  county.  Kentucky.  November  17,  1826;  sixty-eight  years 
old;  died  December  2;.  1854.  Putnam  county,  Indiana. 

Samuel  Moore,  born  Staunton.  Augusta  county,  Virginia.  July  14.  1761  ; 
Februarv  to  September.  1781.  private  in  Alaj.  Andrew  Hamilton's  regiment 
A'irginia  militia;  applied  for  pension  Putnam  county.  Indiana.  October  25, 
1S32. 

Tohn  Norman,  horn  1743,  Sussex  county.  Delaware;  enlisted  at  Johnson. 
Sussex  countv,  Delaware:  Captain  Vaughn's  company.  Delaware  volunteers; 


2i8  weik's  history  of 

in  skirmisli  Bayshore,  Delaware;  applied  for  pension  Clinton  township.  Put- 
nam county,  Indiana,  May  6,  1833. 

Thomas  Rhoten,  November,  1776,  to  January,  1781;  enlisted  at  North- 
umberland county,  Pennsylvania,  in  Captain  Harris'  company.  Colonel 
Cook's  regiment  Pennsylvania  volunteers;  in  battles  Brandywine.  German- 
town  and  Stony  Point;  applied  for  pension  Brown  county,  Ohio,  December 

21,  1819;  lived  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  1835. 

Isaiah  Slavens,  born  Augusta  county,  Virginia,  June  14,  1762:  enlisted 
for  one  year,  1780.  in  Virginia  regiment;  in  battles  Hot  Water  and  James- 
town; applied  for  pension  April  26,  1833,  Putnam  county,  Indiana. 

Abraham  Stobaugh. 

Peter  Stoner;  1780  and  1781,  in  North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina 
regiments;  in  battle  Eutaw  Springs;  wounded  in  back  and  hip,  Monks  Corner; 
applied  for  pension  Orange  county,  North  Carolina,  September  7,  1832;  died 
in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  April  6,  185 1. 

Thomas  Tucker,  born  Fairfax  county.  North  Carolina,  February  11, 
1757;  enlisted  Washington  county,  North  Carolina,  1779.  for  two  years  in 
North  Carolina  regiment;  April  25,  1832,  applied  for  pension  in  Putnam 
county.  Indiana. 

John  Walden,  born  March  6,  1756,  Middlesex  county,  Virginia;  served 
from  1777  to  end  of  war,  1783.  in  Col.  William  Dent,  Abraham  Buford  and 
Henry  Lee  regiments,  Virginia  volunteers;  in  battles  Monmouth,  Stony 
Point,  and  present  at  evacuation  of  Charleston;  applied  for  pension  Henry 
county,  Kentucky,  April  5,   1821 ;  died  Putnam  county.  Indiana,  December 

22,  1835. 

Robert  Whitehead;  enlisted  Holston  River,  western  North  Carolina, 
served  from  October,  1779.  to  October,  1782;  private.  Captain  Bailey,  Colonel 
John  [Montgomery,  Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark,  Illinois  regiment,  Virginia 
line:  applied  for  pension  Putnam  county,  Indiana.  April  22.  1833;  seventy- 
one  vears  old;  died  Putnam  county.  Indiana.  Februan.-  20.  1852. 

John  Walls,  born  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  4.  1762:  drummer 
1776.  one  vear  Capt.  J.  Wright's  company,  H.  Miller's  regiment.  Pennsyl- 
vania volunteers;  1780,  six  months,  drummer,  Capt.  William  Wales'  company, 
same  regiment ;  applied  for  pension  Putnam  county.  Indiana,  October  26, 
1832. 

AN   INTERESTING  PAPER. 

Several  years  ago  the  late  William  Henry  Ragan.  who  had  made  some 
inquii-v  into  the  history  of  certain  Revolutionary-  soldiers  who  ha])pened  to 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  -^9 

settle  in  that  part  of  the  county  in  which  he  himself  had  spent  the  earlier 
years  of  his  life,  prepared  and  read  before  the  Putnam  County  Historical  So- 
ciety a  paper  on  the  subject,  which  is  so  full  of  interesting  reminiscences  and 
data  the  liberty  is  taken  to  insert  a  portion  of  it  here. 

"There  is  a  small  section  of  country  lying  immediately  north  and  west 
of  the  village  of  Fillmore."  related  Mr.  Ragan.  "in  which  five  survivors  of 
the  Revolutionary  war  spent  their  last  days  on  earth  and  in  which  their  sacred 
ashes  still  remain.  Three  of  the  five  the  writer  very  distinctly  remembers, 
the  others  dying  but  a  short  time  before  his  recollection.  I  doubt  if  there  is 
an  area  so  small  within  the  limits  of  the  county,  or  even  of  the  state,  where 
so  many  of  the  patriots  of  our  war  for  independence  spent  their  last  days. 
Why  this  should  have  been  is,  perhaps,  a  mere  coincidence  as  I  know  of  no 
community  of  interests  that  could  have  thus  brought  them  together.  Indeed, 
they  may  have  been,  for  aught  I  know,  entire  strangers  to  each  other.  Cer- 
tainly there  were  no  close  ties  of  consanguinity  existing  among  them.  Hence 
I  conjecture  that  their  settlement  in  such  close  proximity  was  merely  a  coin- 
cidence and  not  by  design  or  purpose  on  their  part. 

"The  area  in  which  these  patriots  resided  embraced  a  small  portion  of 
the  adjacent  town.ships  of  Floyd  and  :\rarion.  Three  of  them  resided  in  the 
former  and  two  in  the  last  named  township.  At  least  three  of  the  five  came 
to  this  county  with  their  families— the  others  perhaps  with  children  or  friends. 
Their  deaths  occurred  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  named. 

"Abraham  Stobaugh  came  from  Montgomery  county,  Virginia,  in  com- 
pany with  his  son,  the  late  Jacob  Stobaugh.  and  settled  in  the  southern  por- 
tion of  Floyd  township.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  Mrs.  A.  M.  Robinson, 
of  Fillmore,  and  of  the  late  Mrs.  Owen,  the  wife  of  our  fellow  townsman  and 
ex-countv  recorder,  George  Owen.  From  Mrs.  Robinson  I  learn  that  this 
worthy  patriot  died  in  September,  1836,  and  that  he  was  buried  with  the 
honors  of  war.  A  militia  company  from  Greencastle,  commanded  by  the  late 
Col.  Lewis  H.  Sands,  fired  the  salute  at  the  grave.  He  was  buried  in  a  private 
cemeterv  on  the  old  Gorham  farm,  in  Marion  township.  There  is  today  no 
trace  of  his  grave  remaining,  none  at  least  that  would  identify  it  among  those 
of  numerous  friends  and  relatives.  Mr.  Stobaugh  left  quite  a  large  number 
of  descendants,  some  of  whom  still  remain  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  former 
home. 

"Silas  Hopkins,  if  tradition  may  be  credited,  was  a  native  of  the  city 
of  Baltimore,  and  a  supposed  relative  of  the  late  millionaire  merchant  and 
philanthropist.  Johns  Hopkins,  whose  name  will  go  down  to  posterity  in  con- 
nection with  the  srreat  universitv  his  beneficence  endowed.      Silas  Hopkms 


220  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

was  the  father  of  the  somewhat  noted  John  Deroysha  Hopkins,  whose  eccen- 
tric characteristics  will  be  well  remembered  by  many  who  are  present.  He 
was  also  the  father  of  the  late  Mrs.  Thomas  Gorham,  with  whom  he  made 
his  home.  Patriot  Hopkins  was  in  some  particulars  not  unlike  his  eccentric 
son.  His  death  occurred  near  the  close  of  the  fourth  decade  of  this  century. 
How  long  or  when  and  at  what  period  of  the  revolutionary  struggle  and  in 
what  Ijranch  of  the  service,  or  under  what  command  these  patriots  served,  is 
perhaps  unknown  to  living  mortals ;  but  that  they  were  revolutionary  soldiers 
there  is  not  a  shadow  of  doubt.  Jacob  Stobaugh.  son  of  Abraham,  was  a  vet- 
eran of  the  war  of  1812.  and  some  of  the  descendants  of  Silas  Hopkins  laid 
down  their  lives  to  preserve  that  government  to  the  establishment  of  which  he 
gave  his  best  years.  Even  his  eccentric  son,  John  D..  was  for  a  time  a  Union 
soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  Although  at  the  time  he  was  beyond  the 
age  of  military  service,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Seventieth  Indiana  Regi- 
ment, and  served  part  of  the  second  year  of  the  war  as  a  member  of  that  regi- 
ment, which  was  commanded  by  the  only  living  ex-President  of  the  United 
States.  At  least  four  grandsons  also  served  in  the  Union  army,  two  of  whom, 
Silas  and  Thomas  Gorham,  laid  down  their  lives  in  their  country's  service,  and 
now  rest  side  by  side  in  the  village  cemetery  at  Fillmore.  There  is  something 
sadly  pathetic  in  the  story  of  the  death  of  these  patriotic  grandsons  of  Silas 
Hopkins.  They  had  survi\-ed  the  mishaps  of  the  war  from  1861  to  1865,  when 
one  of  the  brothers  began  to  decline  in  health.  The  war  was  over,  and  they 
were  reallv  no  longer  needed  at  the  front.  So  the  sick  brother  was  given  a  fur- 
lough to  his  home,  and  for  company  the  well  one  was  sent  with  him.  On  the 
Vandalia  train  while  halting  at  the  Greencastle  station,  and  within  six  miles  of 
home  and  friends,  the  invalid  brother  quietly  breathed  his  last.  The  survivor 
tenderlv  supported  the  lifeless  form  of  his  brother  in  his  arms  until  the  train 
reached  Fillmore,  where  kind  and  loving  friends  performed  the  last  sad  rites. 
But  one  month  elapsed  until  the  remaining  brother  was  gently  laid  by  his  side 
''in  the  shadow  of  the  stone."  In  those  early  days  almost  every  farm  had  its 
private  burial  place,  in  which  members  of  the  family  were  interred.  The 
Gorham  farm  was  not  an  exception  to  this  general  rule.  On  the  north  end 
of  this  farm,  known  to  the  older  residents  as  the  Judge  Smith,  or  Gorham 
farm,  and  now  owned  by  Albert  O.  Lockridge  of  this  city,  and  the  first  land 
in  the  township  conveyed  by  the  go\'ernment  to  a  private  individual,  is  one 
of  the.^e  neglected  burial  places.  The  location  is  obscure,  and  but  for  a  few 
rough  stones,  one  of  which  l^ears  the  inscription  "W.  B.".  there  is  naught  to 
indicate  that  it  is  a  pioneer  cemetery  in  which  many  of  the  early  settlers  sleep 


PUTXAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  221 

their  long  sleep.  Here  rest  the  mortal  remains  of  Abraham  Stobaugh  and 
Silas  Hopkins  of  Revolutionary  memor\-.  But  a  few  fleeting  years  will  elapse 
until  this  graveyard  will  be  entirely  unknown  and  forgotten,  and  posterity 
will  then  have  naught  but  tradition  as  a  guide  to  this  sacred  spot  where  lie  two 
of  the  founders  of  our  republic. 

"Samuel  Denny  resided  in  the  southern  part  of  Floyd  township,  on  what 
is  now  known  as  the  Gravel  Pit  farm,  which  is  owned  by  the  Big  Four  rail- 
way. His  home  was  with  an  adopted  daughter,  Mrs.  Isaac  Yeates,  he  having 
had  no  children  of  his  own.  ]\Ir.  Denny  first  settled  in  Warren  township, 
where  his  wife  died  and  was  buried.  He  was  the  great  uncle  of  our  fellow- 
townsman,  James  T.  Denny,  Esq.  Patriot  Denny  had  long  predicted  that 
his  death  would  occur  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  which  prediction  was  verified  by 
the  fact.  In  the  early  summer  of  1843,  his  rapid  decline  was  noted,  and  on 
the  nation's  si.xty-seventh  birthday,  his  gentle  spirit  took  leave  of  earth.  I 
well  remember  Mr.  Denny,  and  have  him  pictured  in  my  mind  as  a  most 
venerable  personage.  Indeed,  he  was  highly  respected  and  honored  by  all 
w  ho  knew  him.  I  have  already  referred  to  the  fact  that  he  raised  no  children 
of  his  own.  It  is.  however,  a  well  verified  tradition  that  he  raised  thirteen 
orphan  children  by  adoption,  thus  showing  the  great  benevolence  of  his  char- 
acter. He  was  buried  in  Warren  township  at  what  is  known  as  Deer  Creek 
Baptist  cemeteiy  bv  the  side  of  his  deceased  wife,  and  I  have  no  doubt  with 
the  honors  of  war  so  well  befitting  the  day  and  the  occasion. 

"John  Bartee's  home  was  on  a  fraction  of  the  same  farm  on  which 
Patriot  Denny  died,  and  to  which  he  had  in  some  way  acquired  a  fee  simple 
title.  There  were  ten  acres  of  the  little  homestead  upon  which  he  resided. 
He  lived  in  a  humble  log  cabin,  with  but  one  room.  Here,  in  company  with 
his  feeble-minded  seciond  wife  and  still  more  imbecile  daughter,  he  spent  his 
last  days  in  extreme  poverty.  The  family  ^xere  objects  of  charity.  Through 
the  exertions  of  the  late  .Xnderson  B.  ^latthews.  himself  a  member  of  the 
boarrl  of  count^•  commissioners,  that  body  made  a  small  appropriation,  I  am 
not  alile  to  sa\-  hov.-  much,  in  support  of  this  superannuated  veteran :  but  with 
all  this,  only  a  small  share  of  the  good  things  of  earth  fell  to  the  lot  of  our 
worthy  patriot  in  his  declining  years.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  participated  in 
the  siege  of  Yorktown  and  the  capture  of  Lord  Cornwallis.  His  death 
occurred  in  February  of  1848,  and  he  was  buried  in  the  little  graveyard  on 
the  Yeates  farm.,  near  by  his  former  home. 

"Benjamin  Mahorney.  the  fifth  and  last  survivor,  and  perhaps  among 
the  x-eiy  last  of  his  race,  died  in  the  summer  of  1854,  more  than  se\-ent\-  vears 


222  VVEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

after  the  close  of  the  great  struggle  in  which  he  was  an  active  participant. 
His  residence  was  in  the  northern  portion  of  Marion  township,  and  immedi- 
ately on  the  line  of  the  Big  Four  railway,  one  mile  east  of  the  little  station 
of  Darwin.  He  lived  with  his  son,  Owen  Mahorney,  who  made  him  comfort- 
able in  his  last  days.  He  was  a  most  venerable  personage,  known  to  the  people 
of  the  neighborhood  as  one  worthy  of  veneration  and  respect.  His  hair  was 
as  white  as  the  driven  snow.  He  was  a  Virginian  and  enlisted  from  Fauquier 
county,  in  that  state,  in  the  spring  of  1779,  for  a  term  of  eighteen  months. 
He  served  under  Captain  Walls,  in  Colonel  Buford's  regiment  of  Virginia 
militia.  His  regiment  met  the  British  cavalry  under  the  celebrated  Colonel 
Tarleton,  at  Waxhaw,  North  Carolina,  and  were  repulsed  with  great  loss 
in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners.  Patriot  Mahorney  was  one  of  the  few  who 
escaped  injury  or  capture.  His  term  of  enlistment  closed  on  October  25, 
1780,  nearly  seventy- four  years  prior  to  his  death  in  this  county.  From  rec- 
ords of  our  county  clerk's  office,  I  learn  that  he  made  application  for  a  pen- 
sion at  the  April  term  of  court  in  1833,  and  that  he  was  at  that  time  seventy- 
three  years  of  age.  From  this  record  I  also  learn  the  above  facts  concerning 
his  enlistment  and  service  in  the  patriot  cause.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
there  was  in  the  neighborhood  a  military  company  with  headquarters  at  the 
village  of  Fillmore  and  commanded  by  James  H.  Summers,  a  Mexican  war 
veteran  and  afterwards  colonel  of  an  Iowa  regiment  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 
Captain  Summers  called  together  his  company,  and  fired  a  salute  over  the  open 
grave  of  the  last  survivor  of  Revolutionary  memory  in  the  neighborhood.  The 
interment  was  at  what  is  known  as  the  Smythe  graveyard,  just  south  of  the 
Vandalia  railwav,  and  one  mile  east  of  Fillmore.  It  is  probable  that  the  grave 
of  Mr.  Mahorney  might  still  be  identified.  An  incident  occurred  after  the  burial 
of  Patriot  Mahorney,  when  Captain  Summers,  with  his  company,  returned  to 
Fillmore  to  store  their  guns  in  the  company's  armory,  A  member  of  the 
company,  Noah  Alley,  also  a  Mexican  veteran,  and  afterwards  killed  at 
Cedar  Mountain,  Virginia,  as  a  member  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Indiana  Regi- 
ment, through  an  awkward  mishap  thrust  the  fixed  bayonet  of  his  musket 
through  his  leg  just  above  the  ankle,  making  a  serious  and  painful  wound. 
The  village  boys,  out  of  juvenile  curiosity,  had  gathered  about  the  military 
company,  and  were  many  of  them  witnesses  to  this  painful  accident.  The 
writer  well  remembers  the  impression  it  made  on  his  youthful  mind,  and 
this  incident  will  go  down  in  his  memory  associated  with  the  death  and  burial 
of  the  last  survivor  of  the  Revolutionary  struggle  in  that  part  of  Putnam 
county,  if  not  in  the  state.     Of  these  five  Revolutionary  patriots,  two  only. 


PUTNAM    COUNTYj    INDIANA.  223 

Hopkins  and  Stobaugh,  have  living  descendants  in  our  midst.  Denny,  it 
will  be  remembered,  had  no  children  of  his  own.  Bartee's  wife  and  daugh- 
ter are  long  since  dead,  and  the  younger  Mahorney,  after  his  father's  death, 
together  with  his  family  removed  to  Fountain  county,  where  they  have  been 
lost  sight  of  in  the  busy  throng  that  now  throbs  and  pulsates  through  our 
land." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


NOTED    MURDER    TRIALS. 


The  first  murder  in  Putnam  county  was  followed  almost  immediately 
by  the  first  suicide.  It  occurred  in  what  is  now  Cloverdale  township  in  1824, 
and  is  thus  described  by  Capt.  H.  B.  Martin,  of  that  place  :  "Among  those  who 
settled  in  this  vicinity  at  that  time  were  Thomas  James,  James  Robinson.  Am- 
brose Bandy,  John  Macy  and  Andrew  Kilgore.  The  first  named  of  these  was 
the  victim,  the  second  the  perpetrator  of  the  murder  and  suicide.  James 
was  living  with  his  wife  and  three  children  in  a  small  cabin  situated  near 
what  is  known  as  the  'Granny  Nelson  Spring.'  He  had  entered  a  quarter 
section  of  land  lying  west  of  his  temporary  home  and  embracing  the  ground 
now  occupied  by  the  Cloverdale  cemetery.  The  land  was  then  covered  with 
huge  and  towering  walnut,  poplar,  sugar  and  ash  trees  and  was  considered 
one  of  the  best  locations  in  the  surrounding  country.  Robinson  had  settled 
and  built  him  a  cabin  on  a  choice  piece  of  land  one-half  mile  south  of  James, 
and  was  living  there  with  his  wife  and  children.  In  that  early  day  every 
article  of  clothing  worn  by  the  settlers  was  spun,  woven  and  manufactured 
at  home.  Flax  and  tow  linen  furnished  the  summer  wear.  And  it  was 
concerning  a  trifling  quantity  of  flax  that  the  quarrel  arose  which  ended  in 
the  bloody  deeds  we  are  narrating.  It  appears  that  Robinson's  wife  had 
employed  Mrs.  Eunice  Bandy,  wife  of  Ambrose  Bandy,  to  spin  some  flax. 
The  calculating  and  economical  housewives  of  that  time  knew  just  how 
much  thread  a  pound  of  the  raw  material  would  make.  And  after  ]\Irs. 
Bandy  returned  the  spun  flax.  ^^Irs.  Robinson  weighed  it  and  told  some  of 
her  neighbors  that  the  quantit}-  returned  was  short  one  'dozen.'  This  was 
gossipped  about  b}-  the  neighbor  women,  till  it  reached  the  ears  of  the  parties 
accu.'ied  of  embezzling  one  'dozen.'  Ambrose  Bandy,  the  husband,  became 
much  incensed  and  threatened  to  sue  Robinson  and  his  wife  for  slander. 
Thi-^  in  turn  enraged  Robinson,  who  was  a  morose,  sulky  and  very  quick- 
tempered man.  He  became  unfriendly  with  every  one  of  his  neighbors  who 
had  talked  about  the  affair  of  the  flax  thread  or  whom  he  suspected  of  having 
friendly  relations  with  the  Bandys.  He  was  especially  angered  at  Bandy, 
James.  Macy  and  Kilgore. 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  225 

"A  few  da}s  before  the  committal  of  the  crimes,  which  deprived  two 
famihes  of  their  protectors  and  made  orphans  of  eight  httle  children  in  the 
lonely  frontier  settlement,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bandy  visited  James,  remaining  over 
night.  This  perhaps  sealed  the  fate  of  the  latter.  A  few  days  afterwards 
Robinson  arose  on  a  bright  sunshiny  morning  (in  April.  1824),  and.  after 
carefully  loading  his  rifle  informed  his  family  that  thereafter  they  would 
have  to  take  care  of  themselves,  that  he  should  do  no  more  for  them,  and 
left  his  cabin,  gun  in  hand.  He  first  went  to  Bandy's,  evidently  with  the  in- 
tention of  making  him  the  first  victim,  for  he  had  previously  declared  that 
there  were  seven  persons  in  the  neighborhood  that  he  meant  to  destroy,  refer- 
ring to  Bandy  and  his  friends  before  mentioned  and  the  wives  of  some  of 
them.  Bandy  saw  him  approaching  and  hid  behind  a  tree  until  he  went 
away.  He  ne.xt  proceeded  to  the  home  of  Kilgore.  who  was  also  fortunate 
enough  to  perceive  him  while  he  was  at  a  distance  and  conceal  himself. 
Robinson  next  turned  his  attention  to  Macy.  Macy's  cabin  stood  on  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Alexander  McCurrv-'s  residence  in  Cloverdale.  When  Robinson 
approached.  Macy  and  his  son  James  were  together  in  a  clearing  in  front 
of  their  humble  dwelling,  and  the  bloodthirsty  assassin's  heart  failed  him. 
He  could  not  strike  down  the  father  in  the  presence  of  his  little  son,  and 
walked  swiftly  by  without  raising  his  head  or  speaking,  and  wended  his  way 
to  James'.  James  was  alone  in  the  forest  hewing  puncheons  to  floor  a  house 
he  was  preparing  to  build  on  his  own  land.  He  felled  a  tree,  by  mistake. 
a  little  south  of  the  boundary  of  his  land,  near  the  southeast  corner  and  was 
consequently  a  few  feet  south  of  the  present  Mount  Meridian  road.  The 
leaves  were  peeping  from  the  bursting  buds,  birds  were  twittering  above  him 
in  the  branches  of  the  tall  trees,  while  rank  vegetation  was  springing  from 
the  rich  soil  at  his  feet.  The  season,  his  prospects  and  surroundings  all  tended 
to  make  life  to  him  sweet,  desirable  and  enjoyable.  He  was  bowed  o\er  his 
work  unaware  of  danger  and  most  probably  congratulating  himself  upon  his 
happy  selection  of  a  location,  and  thinking  of  a  future  in  which  figured  con- 
spicuously a  cleared  wilderness,  teeming  fields  of  grain  and  a  comfortable 
home  for  his  wife  and  little  ones,  when  a  stinging  pain  through  his  body 
and  a  ringing  report  of  a  rifie  ended  his  dream  and  blasted  his  hopes.  Robin- 
son had  skulked  through  the  forest  and  dodged  from  tree  to  tree,  as  an  Indian 
approaches  his  foe.  until  within  fifty  yards  of  his  unoflFending  victim  and 
then,  taking  (leli])erate  aim.  fired  the  fatal  shot.  The  ball  passed  through 
James'  left  arm  and  through  his  body  from  side  to  side,  lodging  against  the 
skin. 

(15) 


226  weik's  history  of 

"On  receiving  the  wound.  James  straightened  up  and  looking  in  the 
direction  of  the  report,  saw  his  murderer  in  the  act  of  lowering  his  weapon, 
the  smoke- of  the  discharge  curling  above  his  head.  He  contemplated  his 
assassin  for  a  moment  and  then  ran  with  the  speed  of  a  stricken  deer  to 
his  cabin,  about  two  hundred  yards  distant,  and  bounded  into  the  midst  of 
his  terrified  family,  the  blood  spurting  in  a  stream  from  the  wound  in  his  side. 
A  messenger  was  dispatched  to  Greencastle  and  in  due  time  returned  with 
Doctor  Lowe.  The  young  and  inexperienced  physician  removed  the  ball 
and  then  directed  his  efforts  to  healing  the  external  wounds.  James  lingered 
twentv-eight  days  and  died  of  blood  poisoning,  which  no  doubt  could  have 
been  obviated  by  skillful  treatment.  After  firing  the  fatal  shot.  Robinson 
returned  home.  His  oldest  child,  a  daughter,  was  at  home  caring  for  the 
babv,  and  his  wife  and  other  children  were  absent  at  work  in  a  clearing  some 
distance  from  the  cabin.  He  re-loaded  his  rifle  and  attached  one  end  of  a 
string  to  the  trigger  and  the  other  to  a  peg  sticking  in  the  wall  on  the  outside 
of  the  house,  cocked  the  piece  and  placed  the  muzzle  against  his  left  breast 
over  his  heart,  and  by  drawing  it  towards  him,  discharged  it.  The  ball 
passed  through  his  heart,  causing  instant  death.  He  was  buried  on  his  own 
land.  His  children  grew  to  man-and  womanhood  in  this  locality,  but  finally 
moved  awav.  His  widow  remarried  and  raised  a  large  family  by  the  second 
marriage. 

"Two  of  James'  sons  lived  to  old  age,  one  of  them.  Stanfield  P.,  filling 
the  office  of  county  commissioner  for  several  years.  James,  himself,  was  a 
representative  type  of  the  early  Kentucky  immigrant  in  Putnam  county. 
He  was  tall,  straight  and  well  proportioned.  As  a  neighbor  he  was  kind, 
hospitable  and  generous  and  his  tragic  and  untimely  death  cast  a  pall  of 
gloomy  dread  and  sorrow  over  the  isolated  settlement  in  the  wilderness  long 
after  he  was  gone." 

For  many  years  after  the  death  of  Thomas  James  the  security,  peace 
and  dignity  of  the  county  was  undisturbed.  But  in  1840  a  second  murder 
occurred  which,  while  no  more  atrocious  than  the  taking  off  of  James,  is 
noteworthy  in  that  the  accused  was  arrested,  tried  and  paid  the  penalty  with 
his  life.  It  was  the  first  judicial  execution  in  the  county.  As  those  who 
were  living  at  the  time  or  had  personal  knowledge  of  the  incident  have 
long  since  passed  away,  it  might  have  been  difficult  to  gather  the  required 
facts  but  for  the  timely  discovery  of  a  pamphlet  printed  at  the  time  the 
tragedy  took  place  and  which  contains  an  authentic  account  of  the  unfor- 
tunate occurrence.  Reference  is  made  to  the  murder  of  Abraham  Rhinear- 
son,  in  the  summer  of  1840.  by  William  Thompson.     The  pamphlet,  which 


PUTXAM     COL'XTY.    INDIANA.  22/ 

was  printed  at  the  office  of  the  Grccncastlc  Visitor,  bears  the  following  on  its 
title  page : 

'"Sketch  of  the   Life  and   Confession  of  William   Thompson. 

"Prepared  by  Rev.  J.   L.   Belotte. 

"To  which  is  appended  a  synopsis  of  the  proceedings  antl  testimony  during 

his  trial  and  the  sentence  of  the  juflge. 

'■r,reencastle : 

Printed  at  the  \'isitor  Office 

"1S41." 

The  author,  J.  L.  Belotte.  was  a  Methodist  preacher,  who  was  the  mur- 
derer's spiritual  adviser  and  to  whom  the  confession  was  made.  It  is  some- 
what minute  and  voluminous  so  that  only  a  brief  recital  of  the  material  facts 
can  be  attempted  here. 

In  the  summer  of  1840  the  body  of  a  man  who  had  been  dead  several 
days  was  found  in  a  lonely  spot  in  the  woods  in  the  south  end  of  Clinton  town- 
ship, about  seven  miles  from  Greencastle.  All  the  indications  pointed  to 
death  by  violence,  but  owing  to  the  advanced  state  of  decomposition,  it  was 
impossible  to  identify  the  remains.  Later  a  hat  was  discovered,  in  some 
bushes  nearby,  in  the  inside  of  which  was  a  letter  addressed  to  Abraham 
Rhinearson,  Bloomington,  Iowa.  John  Lynch,  the  town  constable,  in  an 
endeavor  to  unravel  the  mystery,  went  to  Iowa  and  there  learned  that, 
shortly  before,  Rhinearson  and  William  Thompson,  whose  home  was  at 
Middletown.  in  Henry  county,  in  this  state,  had  set  out  from  Iowa  too-ether, 
headed  for  Indiana.  Returning  here.  Lynch  and  George  Thompson,  also 
of  this  place,  made  a  trip  to  Henry  county,  where  they  arrested  Rhinearson's 
fellow  traveler,  William  Thompson,  and  brought  him  to  Greencastle.  Either 
en  route  hither  or  soon  after  his  arrival  Thompson  confessed  his  crime, 
stating  that  as  he  himself  was  about  out  of  money  he  had  killed  his  com- 
panion for  the  paltry  sum  the  latter  had,  which  hardly  exceeded  five  dollars. 
On  arrival  at  Greencastle  he  was  brought  before  James  M.  Grooms,  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  after  a  brief  preliminary  inquirv-  returned  to  jail  to  await 
the  action  of  the  circuit  court.  Early  in  Januarv-.  1841,  he  was  arraio-ned 
for  trial  before  Judge  Elisha  Huntington  and.  being  unable  to  hire  counsel. 
the  court  ordered  John  Cowgill,  Edward  McGaughey  and  Henry  Secrest  to 
conduct  his  defense.  The  prosecuting  attorney  was  Delana  R.  Eckels.  The 
jury  consisted  of  James  Xosler,  foreman,  Joseph  Crow,  John  Robinson. 
Enoch  Wright,  Nathaniel  Jones.  William  Christy.  John  Wilson,  lohn  Clear- 


228  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

waters,  Ouinton  VanDyke,  Isaiah  Goodwin,  Jonathan  MuUinix  and  Jacob 
Pearcy.  About  fifteen  witnesses  were  examined  and  the  case  submitted  to 
the  jury  without  argument  by  the  counsel  on  either  side.  The  judge  dehvered 
the  charge  to  the  juiy  in  a  very  feehng  and  impartial  manner.  The  latter 
retired  to  their  room  and  in  about  twenty  minutes  returned  a  verdict  of  guilty. 
On  Friday,  January  15th,  the  prisoner  was  brought  into  court  and  formally 
sentenced.  He  was  condemned  to  death,  the  date  of  the  execution  being  fixed 
for  February  12th. 

As  it  was  the  first  execution  in  the  county,  a  deep  interest  was  mani- 
fested in  the  subsequent  proceedings.  The  place  selected  was  a  grove  south 
of  town  near  the  corner  of  Locust  and  Berry  streets,  now  occupied  by  the 
residence  of  the  late  Charles  Leuteke.  It  was  a  bitterly  cold  day  and  was 
onlv  made  endurable  by  numerous  fires  over  the  grounds  around  which 
the  great  crowd  present  gathered  in  groups.  When  the  condemned  man, 
driven  in  a  wagon  from  the  jail  and  seated  on  his  coffin,  reached  the  place  of 
execution  the  pressure  to  see  him  was  so  great  the  local  militia  company, 
under  command  of  Gen.  George  K.  Steele,  was  necessary  to  keep  the  crowd 
back.  The  rope,  containing  twenty-four  strands  of  hemp,  made  by  the  late 
Thomas  Talbott,  was  attached  to  the  limb  of  a  large  elm  tree  beneath  which 
was  the  platform  on  which  the  condemned  man  sat  while  the  religious  service 
which  preceded  the  execution,  took  place.  A  hymn  or  two  were  sung,  the 
music  being  led  by  Aaron  Stewart,  a  singer  of  local  renown,  and  it  is  said 
the  condemned  man  joined  in  the  songs  in  a  voice  full,  clear  and  without  a 
tremor.  The  Rev.  Air.  Belotte  was  present  and  led  the  services.  Evan  L. 
Kercheval,  the  sheriff,  at  the  proper  time  sprung  the  trap  and  the  sentence  of 
the  law  was  carried  out  without  delay  or  mishap  of  any  kind. 

The  next  and  last  judicial  execution  in  Putnam  county  took  place  in 
the  jail  yard,  west  of  the  public  square,  in  Greencastle,  on  Friday,  December 
18,  1857.  Alanv  persons  who  witnessed  it  are  still  living.  The  prisoner  was 
Greenbury  O.  Mullinix.  who,  on  the  loth  of  the  preceding  April,  had  mur- 
dered his  wife,  Martha  Ann  Sublett,  to  whom  he  had  been  married  exactly 
one  month.  The  murder,  which  occurred  near  Manhattan,  was  equally  brutal 
and  unprovoked.  From  the  account  in  the  weekly  paper  of  the  period  it 
appears  that  the  wife  "had  tied  up  a  bundle  of  clothing  in  the  morning  and 
was  hurrying  through  with  her  housework  in  order  to  prepare  for  her 
baptism,  which  was  to  take  place  that  day.  Mullinix.  her  husband,  was  op- 
posed to  her  joining  church  and  after  feeding  the  stock  returned  to  the  house 
in  a  very  angrv  mood.  The  faithful  and  unsuspecting  wife  had  prepared 
breakfast  and  welcomed  her  husband  with  a  propitiating  smile.     Evidently, 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  229 

after  a  few  words,  the  bmte  struck  her  down  with  a  fire  shovel.  \\  hen  Doc- 
tor Layman  arrived  he  found  her  lying  on  the  floor  with  her  head  crushed 
and  beyond  all  human  help.  Her  husband  claimed  that  some  unknown  per- 
son had  made  the  attack  while  he  was  absent  at  the  barn,  but  later  he  con- 
fessed that  he  had  committed  the  bloody  deed  himself."  He  was  promptly 
arrested  and  in  a  few  days  appeared  before  Joseph  F.  Farley  and  John  S. 
Jennings,  justices  of  the  peace,  who.  on  the  i6th  inst.,  after  a  careful  inquiry 
and  the  examination  of  numerous  witnesses,  committed  the  prisoner  to  jail 
on  the  charge  of  murder  in  the  first  degree  to  await  the  action  of  the  circuit 
court.  The  case  came  on  for  trial  in  the  latter  court  Tuesday,  October  13, 
1857.  and  was  not  disposed  of  till  the  following  Saturday.  John  A.  Matson, 
D.  E.  Williamson  and  R.  S.  Ragan  appeared  for  the  accused  and  John  P. 
Usher.  John  Cowgill  and  ]\Iilton  A.  Osborn  for  the  state.  Judge  James 
Hanna  presided  at  the  trial.  "The  prisoner."  says  the  Putnam  County  Ban- 
ner, "was  ably  defended  by  his  counsel  who  placed  the  issue  of  the  case  upon 
the  ground  that  the  prisoner  at  the  time  he  committed  the  rash  act  and  for 
years  previously  had  been  laboring  under  the  effects  of  an  insane  mind." 
Numerous  instances  were  cited  by  witnesses  and  were  dwelt  and  commented 
upon  by  defendant's  counsel  in  a  masterly  manner  to  establish  this  in  the 
minds  of  the  jury,  but,  as  the  result  has  shown,  to  no  effect.  All  the  evidence 
adduced  on  both  sides  having  been  heard,  as  well  as  the  arguments  of  coun- 
sel, the  case  was  submitted  to  the  jury  on  Thursday  evening,  who.  after  re- 
tiring for  about  an  hour,  brought  in  the  following  verdict ;  "We  the  jury 
find  the  defendant  guilty  as  charged  in  the  indictment  and  that  he  suffer 
death."  The  verdict  was  signed  by  all  the  jurors  as  follows :  Philip  Carpenter, 
William  B.  Wilson.  W.  B.  Cunningham.  James  E.  Talbott.  Robert  Smith, 
Tames  L.  Wilson,  Edward  R.  Shackelford,  Thomas  Sutherlin.  John  INIiller, 
Washington  Breckenridge,  George  W.  Kurtz  and  Russell  Crawford. 

On  Fridav  afternoon  the  defendant  was  brought  into  court  to  receive 
his  sentence.  After  reciting  the  facts  brought  out  at  the  trial  and  the  result- 
ing verdict  of  the  jury,  the  court  then  announced:  "It  is  therefore  considered 
bv  the  court  that  you  be  returned  to  the  county  jail  whence  you  came  and 
that  vou  be  there  kept  in  safe  custody  until  Friday,  the  20th  day  of  November 
next,  and  that  you  then  be  brought  forth  between  the  hours  of  ten  o'clock 
in  the  forenoon  and  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day  and  taken  from 
thence  to  the  place  of  execution  and  be  then  and  there  hanged  by  the  neck 
till  you  are  dead." 

"During  the  delivery  of  the  sentence,"  relates  The  Banner,  "the  prisoner 
stood  up  before  the  judge  and  the  audience  in  the  most  firm  and  undaunted 


230 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


manner,  e\incing  a  stoicism  and  indifference  almost  unparalleled  by  those  who 
have  been  arraigned  before  the  bar  of  justice  for  similar  offenses.  To  the 
question  of  His  Honor,  'Are  you  prepared  to  stand  before  that  all-seeing 
Judge,  seated  upon  the  throne  of  eternal  justice,  and  declare  your  innocence?' 
he  replied,  'I  am!'  And  after  the  judge  had  concluded  his  sentence  and  the 
sheriff  was  about  to  take  him  back  to  jail,  in  a  haughty  and  indignant  man- 
ner, he  said  to  the  judge,     "I  thank  you  for  the  execution.'  " 

A  (lav  or  two  before  November  20th,  the  date  set  for  the  execution. 
Governor  Willard,  in  answer  to  the  appeal  of  the  prisoner's  father,  granted 
a  respite  until  Friday,  December  i8th,  awaiting  the  action  of  the  supreme 
court;  but  the  latter  court  declined  to  interfere  and  at  the  appointed  time  the 
sentence  of  the  law  was  duly  carried  out.  The  hnal  chapter  in  the  unfor- 
tunate affair  is  thus  narrated  in  the  Banner  in  its  issue  of  December  23,  1857: 
"On  Fridav,  the  iSth  inst.,  at  eleven  minutes  past  eleven  o'clock  a.  m..  Green- 
bury  O.  Mullinix  was  executed  at  this  place  in  accordance  with  the  require- 
ments of  the  law,  for  the  murder  of  his  wife  last  April.  Up  to  the  time  of  his 
execution  and  even  upon  the  scaffold,  with  death  in  its  worst  form  and  with 
all  its  horrors  staring  him  in  the  face,  he  persisted  in  his  innocence,  although 
he  had  two  or  three  months  previously  declared  that  he  had  committed  the 
deed — that  he  had  imbrued  his  hands  in  the  blood  of  his  innocent  and  un- 
offending wife!  After  being  led  upon  the  scaffold  by  the  sheriff,  William  L. 
Farrow,  accompanied  by  Rev.  E.  W.  Fisk,  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and 
Rev.  William  Atherton,  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  after  an  impressive 
and  appropriate  prayer  by  Mr.  Fisk.  the  sheriff  asked  the  prisoner  if  he  had 
anything  to  say,  to  which  he  replied  that  he  had  nothing  to  say  except  that 
he  was  innocent  and  that  he  felt  better  than  when  they  made  him  confess  to 
the  murder  of  his  wife.  (He  was  compelled  to  make  this  acknowledgment, 
as  he  alleged,  thinking  that  he  would  be  taken  from  his  confinement  immedi- 
ately and  hanged,  preferring  the  latter  punishment  to  the  former.)  After  it 
was  found  he  hafl  nothing  further  to  say  Mr.  Farrow,  the  sheriff,  proceeded 
to  prepare  him  for  the  ordeal  through  which  he  was  about  to  pass,  by  first 
tving  his  hands  behind  him  and  then  drawing  a  cap  over  his  face  and  tying 
it  under  his  chin.  This  accomplished,  the  rope  was  next  put  around  his  neck 
and  while  the  sheriff  was  thus  engaged,  having  adjusted  the  rope  a  little  too 
tight,  the  prisijner.  in  a  jovial  and  unconcerned  manner,  said:  'Bill,  this  is 
rather  tight,"  following  the  remark  by  a  big  laugh  and  apparently  as  uncon- 
cerned as  if  he  was  only  about  to  engage  in  a  little  jesting  freak.  The  rope 
being  properlv  adjusted,  the  rope  that  held  the  platform  on  which  the  prisoner 
stood    was   severed   and   the   one    around    the   pri.soner's   neck    breaking,    he 


PLTXAM     COLNTV.    IXDIAXA.  27,1 

alighted  upon  the  ground  and  \valke<!  some  two  or  three  yards,  making  ihu'- 
ing  the  time  a  kintl  of  unnatural  sound,  when  he  was  taken  under  the  scaffold, 
hoisted  up.  tlie  rope  tied  and  there  in  the  presence  of  the  recpnsite  number  of 
witnesses  the  unf<irtunate  being  was  suft'ered  to  hang  suspended  by  the  neck 
for  the  space  of  thirty-three  minutes,  and  until  pronounced  death  He  did  not 
struggle  unusually  hard  and  apparently  died  as  easily  as  most  of  those  who 
atone  for  their  crimes  upon  the  gallows,  .\fter  he  had  hung  a  sufficient  length 
of  time,  his  remains  were  placed  in  a  coffin  procured  by  the  sheriff,  after 
w  liich  thev  were  conveyed  by  one  or  two  frienils  to  the  family  residence  of 
the  father  near  ^[anhattan. 

"This  unfortunate  being  to  the  last  manifested  the  utmost  indift'erence 
in  regard  to  his  future  state,  treating  with  scorn  and  contempt  the  ministers 
of  the  gospel  who  called  upon  him  and  endeavored  to  point  him  to  that  God 
who  is  e\'er  nierciful  to  fallen  man.  But  all  was  useless.  Even  on  the  morn- 
ing before  his  execution,  he  used  profane  language  and  all  the  time  declared 
that  it  was  no  use  for  him  to  ask  forgiveness  for  his  evil  deeds,  for  he  had 
committed  none.  It  is  due  to  Mr.  Farnjw.  our  sheriff,  to  state  that  the  acci- 
dent which  occurretl  at  the  execution  in  the  breaking  of  the  rope  was  not  the 
result  of  carelessness  on  his  part.  fur.  as  we  learn,  he  took  the  precaution  to 
try  the  rope  effectually  l)efore  selecting  it  for  the  purpose,  yet  from  some  un- 
accountable cause  it  broke. 

"Mullinix  was  born  one  mile  east  of  Manhattan,  in  this  county;  was  a 
little  past  twenty-five  years  of  age;  was  always  a  dissolute,  disobedient  char- 
acter, as  well  while  under  the  control  of  his  parents  as  afterwards.  He  was 
married  to  Martha,  daughter  oi  David  Sublett.  of  this  county,  on  the  loth 
of  March  last  and  on  the  morning  of  Friday,  the  lOth  day  of  .\pril  ensuing, 
he  put  an  end  to  her  life.  The  free  and  unrestrained  use  of  intoxicating 
drinks,  togetlier  with  a  want  of  proi)er  parental  contnil.  it  is  said,  have  been 
the  main  instruments  in  bringing  upon  him  the  terrible  fate  which  has  just 
i^een  \isited  upon  his  head." 

To  deal  with  or  attempt  to  describe  all  the  murders  and  murder  trials 
which  ha\e  taken  place  in  the  county  would  swell  this  volume  to  unjustifiable 
proportiiins.  nor  would  any  real  good  accrue  from  recalling  a  subject  so 
gruesome  and  forbidding.  Rut  now  that  we  have  seen  fit  io  notice  that  fea- 
ture of  our  criminal  history  we  can  not  well  pass  to  other  subjects  without 
a  brief  reference  to  what  was,  for  many  years,  the  most  noteworthy  and 
astounding  crime  e\-er  committed  in  the  count}". 

On  the  morning  oi  January  7.  1861.  the  bcjdies  of  Tilghman  H.  Hanna 
and   wife,  who  lived  in  the  village  oi  Ch-oveland,  were   found  in  bed   foullv 


232  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

murdered.  The  murderer  had  slain  them  with  an  axe,  during  the  night  while 
asleep,  crushing  their  skulls  and  otherwise  mutilating  them.  Not  content 
with  destroying  his  victims,  the  murderer  had  committed  little  acts  of  van- 
dalism such  as  splitting  into  kindling  wood  pieces  of  furniture,  ornaments. 
etc.  As  no  valuables  were  disturbed  or  missing,  it  was  evident  that  robbery 
could  not  liave  been  the  motive.  The  murderer  or  murderers  had  entered  the 
house  through  a  back  window  and  after  their  bloody  work  had  deliberately 
unlocked  and  walked  out  of  the  front  door.  A  memorandum  book  lying  on 
a  table  in  the  bedroom  contained  several  vulgar  and  indecent  sentences  which 
the  murderer  had  written  across  one  of  the  pages.  One  of  the  sentences  was, 
'T  have  done  the  deed — now  G — d —  you,  ketch  me  if  you  ken."  Suspicion 
soon  pointed  in  the  direction  of  Goodlow  H.  Evans,  known  as  Harper  Evans. 
a  young  man  about  twenty  years  old,  who  lived  in  the  community,  and  he 
was  promptly  arrested  and,  after  a  careful  investigation  by  James  Shoemaker 
and  A.  F.  Wright,  justices  of  the  peace  in  Floyd  township,  placed  in  the 
county  jail  at  Greencastle  to  await  the  action  of  the  circuit  court.  Mean- 
while two  separate  indictments  had  been  returned  by  the  grand  jury  for  the 
murder  of  Hanna  and  his  wife,  upon  both  of  which  the  prisoner  had  been 
arraigned  and  plead  "not  guilty."  "Upon  the  call  of  the  case  for  trial  on 
Monday,  the  8th  inst.,"  says  the  Banner  in  its  issue  April  11,  1861,  "the  prose- 
cution appeared  by  Willis  G.  Neff,  prosecuting  attorney,  assisted  by  D.  R. 
Eckels  and  John  Hanna ;  the  prisoner  in  person  and  by  Williamson  &  Daggy 
and  Joseph  E.  McDonald,  of  Indianapolis.  A  venire  of  seventy-five  jurors 
had  been  ordered  from  the  south  part  of  the  county  and  now  appeared.  After 
the  examination  of  the  latter,  which  consumed  almost  the  entire  first  dav.  the 
following  jur\men  were  selected  and  duly  sworn  to  try  the  case :  Samuel 
Gardner.  Samuel  B.  Gilmore,  John  Trout,  James  M.  Lain,  Bunsle  Hair, 
Samuel  Parks,  Isaac  Harris,  Andrew  J.  Albright,  William  M.  Walden.  Henry 
B.  Martin,  Jacob  Hixon  and  Thomas  Hinote.  The  examination  of  witnesses, 
of  whom  over  a  hundred  were  in  attendance,  was  begun  on  Tuesday.  The 
testimony  pointed  strongly  to  the  guilt  of  the  accused,  the  most  convincing 
circumstance  being  the  writing  in  the  memorandum  book  found  in  the  room 
where  the  murder  took  place  and  which  was  proved  to  be  that  of  the  defend- 
ant. The  court  room  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity  during  the  entire 
time  by  the  throngs  who  watched  the  proceedings  with  breathless  interest. 
"The  hearing  of  the  evidence  closed  on  Thursday  evening,"  relates  the 
Banner.  "Frida}'  morning  the  argument  of  the  case  opened  with  a  well  con- 
ceived and  forci!)le  speech  on  the  part  of  the  prosecution  by  John  Hanna, 
Esq.,  occupying  the  greater  part  of  the  forenoon.    His  was  followed  bv  a  most 


PUTXAM     COUNTY,    INDIANA.  233 

ingeiiiouslv  logical  effort  for  the  defense  by  the  Hon.  Joseph  E.  McDonald, 
taking  up  the  remainder  of  the  forenoon  and  greater  part  of  the  afternoon 
of  the  same  day.  The  able  and  eloquent  gentleman  is  certainly  the  greatest 
master  of  the  art  of  rcductio  ad  ahsiirdam  it  has  ever  been  our  fortune  to 
listen  to — fully  equal  in  ability  to  the  author  of  'Historic  Doubts  as  to  the 
Existence  of  Napoleon  Boneparte'  and  almost  capable  of  causing  one  to  dis- 
believe the  reality  of  his  own  existence  could  he  but  for  a  moment  ignore  the 
broad  and  bare  facts  of  daily  life  passing  around  him.  Judge  Eckels  followed 
in  a  most  convincing  and  closely  compacted  argument  for  the  prosecution, 
occupying  the  remainder  of  Friday  afternoon,  and  closing  on  Saturday  morn- 
ing, leaving  no  doubt,  if  any  existed,  of  the  guilt  of  the  prisoner.  Mr.  Wil- 
liamson closed  the  argument  on  Saturday  afternoon  in  an  ingeniously  labored 
and  lengthy  efifort  for  the  defense.  After  a  clear  and  able  charge  by  Judge 
Clavpool,  the  jury  retired  to  deliberate  on  their  verdict.  About  seven  o'clock 
Saturday  evening,  having  been  out  but  an  hour  or  two,  the  jury  returned  their 
\'er(lict,  'imprisonment  for  life.'  " 

All  things  considered,  it  was  the  most  noted  and  memorable  criminal  trial 
in  the  history  of  the  count}-.  The  strongest  lawyers  at  the  local  bar  were  en- 
gaged and  one  attorney  from  Indianapolis,  Joseph  E.  McDonald,  afterwards 
United  States  senator,  was  later  added  by  the  defense.  Much  of  the  credit 
for  the  conviction  was  due  Judge  D.  R.  Eckels,  who  led  the  prosecution.  His 
management  of  that  side  of  the  case  was  vigorous  and  unrelenting,  displaying 
great  legal  acumen  and  the  most  profound  knowledge  of  English  and  Amer- 
ican jurisprudence.  During  the  trial  the  bombardment  of  Ft.  Sumter  took 
place  and.  judging  from  the  papers  of  the  day,  that  memorable  and  historic 
occurrence  divided  with  the  trial  the  public  interest  and  attention.  It  was  one 
of  the  most  exciting  weeks  in  the  history  of  Greencastle.  At  three  o'clock 
Sundav  morning,  the  day  after  his  conviction,  Evans  tried  to  commit  suicide 
in  the  jail.  The  circumstances  are  thus  set  forth  in  the  Banner:  "On  the  sec- 
ond morning  after  the  commencement  of  his  trial  Evans  succeeded  in  secret- 
ing a  case  knife  (unnoticed  by  the  jailor)  by  breaking  it  in  pieces  and  shoving 
it  into  the  crevices  of  the  wall.  One  of  these  pieces,  about  an  inch  and  a  half 
long,  he  spent  most  of  his  time  in  sharpening  on  the  stone  in  his  cell.  Some 
time  in  the  night  he  requested  his  guard  to  withdraw  from  his  cell  to  the 
entrv  adjoining,  as  he  wanted  to  sleep.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
as  stated,  he  got  up  and.  holding  a  mirror  in  one  hand  and  a  bit  of  knife  in 
the  other,  he.  after  iive  attempts,  succeeded  in  entirely  severing  the  jugular 
vein  of  his  neck,  from  which  he  bled  profusely,  so  much  so  that  he  soon 
fainted,  when  the  bloorl  stopped  Bowing.     He  was  found  about  8  o'clock  Sab- 


234 


VVEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


bath  morning  weltering  in  his  own  blood.  Doctors  Preston  and  ElHs  were 
called  in  and  tor  some  time  it  was  doubtful  whether  he  would  recover  or  not." 
In  about  four  days  he  had  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  tra\-el.  whereupon 
he  was  taken  to  the  prison  at  Jeffersonville  to  begin  his  sentence.  Several 
years  later,  and  before  the  close  of  the  war.  he  succeeiled  in  escaping  from  the 
prison  and  was  never  seen  or  heard  from  afterwards.  About  nineteen  years 
ago  his  brother  Noah  was  tried  and  convicted  on  the  charge  of  having  killed 
Erastus  R.  Adams,  in  the  town  of  Roachdale.  He  was  also  given  a  life 
sentence,  and  died  while  in  prison  at  Michigan  City. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CITY    OF    GREENCASTLE. 

The  history  of  Greencastle,  especially  the  earlier  part  of  it,  is  so  thor- 
oughly inter\vo\-en  with  that  of  the  county  that  much  of  it  has  already  been  re- 
corded in  these  pages.  But  there  came  a  time,  in  later  years,  when  the  city, 
apart  from  its  importance  as  the  center  of  county  government,  began  to  have 
a  histor\-  of  its  own  and  thus  it  happens  that  some  things  yet  remain  to  be 
noted. 

Greencastle  was  a  village  or  town  operating  under  authority  of  the  county 
commissioners  until  March  9.  1849,  when  it  was  incoq^orated  as  a  town  by 
special  act  of  the  Legislature.  The  charter  was  written  by  the  late  D.  R. 
Eckels.  When  the  election  of  town  officers  was  held  Judge  Eckels  was 
chosen  mayor  and  Henry  W.  Daniels,  clerk.  The  following  were  also  the 
first  councilmen:  first  ward.  Russell  L.  Hathaway;  second  ward.  Isaac  Ash; 
third  ward.  Albert  G.  Preston:  fourth  ward,  Hiram  Marshall:  fifth  ward, 
Joseph  F.  Farley. 

Judge  Eckel's  term  as  mayor  ended  May  2.  1850.  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  Russell  L.  Hathaway,  who  served  till  March  13.  185 1  :  John  Hanna,  who 
.served  till  March  7.  1854:  Hiram  Marshall,  till  October  2.  1856:  Dillard  C. 
Donnohue.  till  March  5,  1857;  Joseph  F.  Farley,  to  October  6,  1859;  Reuben 
S.  Ragan.  till  March  15.  i860;  J.  S.  Bachelder.  till  Januar>-  3.  1861 ;  Henry 
Hough,  (town  recorder)  f^ro  tciii  till  March  7.  1861  ;  E.  R.  Kercheval  till 
August  9.  1 86 1,  when  the  town  government  closed. 

FROM    TOWN'    TO    CITY. 

On  July  8.  1861,  an  election  was  held  to  determine  whether  "the  town  of 
Greencastle  should  be  incorporated  as  a  city."  Polls  opened  at  nine  o'clock 
at  the  following  places:  First  ward.  R.  L.  Hathaway's  office:  second  ward, 
mayor's  office ;  third  ward,  Renick's  shop :  fourth  ward.  Braman's  shop :  fifth 
ward.  CowgiU's  law  office. 

The  proposition  to  incorporate  as  a  city  having  carried,  provisions  were 
at  once  made  to  hold  an  election  .\ugust  3,  1861,  for  the  purpose  of  selecting 
"the  following  citv  officers  to  serve  until  the  annual  eIecti(Mi  in   May,   1862: 


236  weik's  history  of 

A[ayor.  clerk,  marslial.  assessor,  treasurer,  engineer  and  two  councilmen  from 
each  ward."  The  number  of  wards  was  reduced  from  five  to  three  and  the 
boundaries  of  the  same  fixed  as  follows:  "All  that  part  of  said  town  lying 
west  of  Ephraim  street  and  north  of  Hanna  street  shall  constitute  the  first 
ward.  All  that  part  lying  east  of  Ephraim  street  and  north  of  Hanna  street 
to  the  east  end  of  said  street,  thence  by  a  line  due  east  to  the  corporation  line, 
shall  constitute  the  second  ward.  All  that  part  lying  south  of  Hanna  street 
and  a  line  due  east  from  the  east  end  of  Hanna  street  shall  constitute  the  third 
ward."  The  voting  places  were:  First  ward,  court  house;  second  ward.  Cow- 
gill's  law  office;  third  ward,  West  End  German  church. 

The  result  of  the  election  was:  E.  R.  Kercheval,  mayor;  Harry  G. 
Hough,  clerk ;  P.  H.  ^IcCamy,  engineer ;  Thomas  J.  Johnson,  assessor ;  Wil- 
liam Atherton.  treasurer;  councilmen,  first  ward,  James  D.  Stevenson  and 
William  S.  Mulholn;  second  ward.  Gasper  Renick  and  Otho  Ward;  third 
ward,  Gustavus  H.  Voss  and  Austin  M.  Puett.  Since  then  the  following  per- 
sons have  held  the  office  of  mayor:  E.  R.  Kercheval,  till  1862;  Marshall  A. 
Moore,  till  1866;  Milton  A,  Osborne,  1868;  Henry  W.  Daniels,  1870;  William 
A.  Brown,  1872;  William  D.  Allen,  1876;  Lucius  P.  Chapin,  1880;  John  R. 
Miller,  1884;  Joseph  S.  McClar}^  188S;  Elisha  Cowgill,  1890;  Charles  B. 
Case,  1894;  Jonathan  Birch,  1902;  John  H.  James,  1904,  and  James  McD. 
Hays,  19 ID.  The  present  incumbent  of  the  office  is  John  R.  Miller,  who  was 
elected  in  November,  1909,  to  serve  from  January  i,  1910.  for  a  period  of 
four  years. 

COMING   OF   THE   RAILROADS. 

The  importance  of  Greerxastle  as  a  commercial  point  dates  from  about 
1850.  At  that  time  the  long-discussed  project  of  uniting  Indianapolis  and 
Terre  Haute  bv  rail  began  to  be  reahzed.  The  Terre  Haute  &  Richmond 
(now  the  Vandalia)  railroad,  which  was  planned  to  parallel  and  run  in  sight 
of  the  National  road — the  great  highway  connecting  Baltimore  with  St.  Louis 
— between  Indianapolis  and  the  Wabash  river  at  Terre  Haute,  was  forced  to 
make  a  detour  of  several  miles  from  its  bee-line  course  in  order  to  reach 
Greencastle.  Building  of  the  road  began  simultaneously  at  Indianapolis  and 
Terre  Haute  and  the  two  sections  were  joined  about  midway  between  Green- 
castle and  Fillmore  on  February  18.  1852,  after  which  regular  trains  were 
run.  Meanwhile  the  New  Albany  &  Salem  (now  the  Monon)  railroad  was 
in  process  of  construction  through  Greencastle  with  the  design  of  connecting 
the  Ohio  river  at  New  Albany  with  Lake  Michigan  at  Michigan  City.  The 
track-Iavers  reached  Greencastle  ^Larch  17.  1854.  and  in  a  few  w-eeks  regular 
trains  were  run.     In  its  issue  March  22,  1854.  noticing  the  completion  of  the 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  237 

road,  the  Banner  says :  "The  track  of  the  New  Albany  &  Salem  railroad  from 
the  north  was  finished  to  our  place  on  last  Friday.  The  whistle  of  the  loco- 
motive in  that  part  of  the  town  is  now  daily  heard.  We  have  not  learned 
when  the  passenger  trains  will  commence  running.  There  is  now  ready  at  this 
place  ready  for  shipment  by  this  road  via  Detroit  to  New  York  some  fifteen 
or  twenty  thousand  barrels  of  pork,  lard,  etc.     A  good  beginning." 

The  completion  of  these  railroads*  gave  a  great  impetus  to  the  business 
of  Greencastle  as  the  following  comparative  statement  of  hogs  packed  in  the 
winter  of  1853-54  will  indicate:  Madison,  122,450;  Terre  Haute,  78.169:  In- 
dianapolis, 44.900:  Greencastle,  22.400:  Lafayette.  21.000;  Connersville,  21.- 
000;  Vincennes.  19.202:  Princeton,  17,207;  Logansport,  16.000:  Evansville, 
13.356;  Crawfordsville,  12,000;  Richmond,  10,000. 

The  trade  of  the  town  has  so  increased  in  volume  that  a  bank  of  deposit 
and  exchange  was  necessary  to  meet  the  growing  demands  of  business  and 
accordingly,  in  February,  1856,  the  Exchange  Bank  of  Greencastle  (under 
the  acts  of  the  Legislature  of  May,  1852,  and  March.  1855)  was  organized. 
William  D.  Allen  was  president,  A.  D.  Wood,  cashier,  and  the  concern  num- 
bered among  its  stockholders,  John  S.  Allen,  Jehu  Hadley,  Jacob  McGinness, 
Thomas  O.  .Allen,  John  Wain,  Russell  L.  Hathaway.  J.  D.  Stevenson.  John 
Gilmore,  and  David  L.  Southard.  In  every  respect  the  town  was  abreast  of 
the  times. 

It  is,  however,  somewhat  refreshing  to  read  in  the  files  of  the  early  papers 
of  the  crude  and  primitive  methods  of  doing  business  and  the  lack  of  com- 
forts and  conveniences  in  the  few  public  utilities  of  that  period.  Thus,  for 
several  years  after  the  railroads  began  operations  the  mail  was  still  carried 
o\erland  by  horse-power,  as  this  editorial  notice  in  the  Baiuicr  in  the  fall  of 
1856  will  indicate:  "We  do  hope  the  government  will  make  an  arrangement 
with  the  railroad  to  carry  the  mail  between  Terre  Haute  and  Indianapolis,  if 
for  no  other  reason,  to  save  the  poor  horses  now  employed  in  the  service  from 
being  run  to  death  this  hot  and  dry  weather." 

FIRST    TELEGR.XPH     LINE. 

Even  the  telegraph  lines  were  not  used  by  the  railroads  for  several  years 
after  the  latter  were  put  into  operation.     The  first  telegraph  line  connecting 

*The  Indianapolis  &  St.  Louis  Railroarl,  or  rather  that  part  of  it  between  Indi- 
anapolis and  Terre  Haute,  was  completed  July  11.  1870.  This  made  the  third  railroad 
thro\)!;h  Greencastle.  Since  that  time  the  Indiana.  Decatur  &  Western,  now  a  part 
of  the  Cincinnati.  Hamilton  *  Dayton  Railroad,  has  been  built  through  the  northern 
part  of  the  county,  ami  the  Terre  Haute.  Indianapolis  &  Eastern,  an  electric  line,  has 
been  built  through  Greencastle.  There  ar?,  therefore,  four  steam  roads  and  one  elec- 
tric road  through  the  county. 


238 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


Greencastle  with  the  outside  world  was  constructed  by  tlie  Cincinnati  &  St. 
Louis  Telegraph  Company  in  1850.  The  line  ran  from  Cincinnati  via  Ham- 
ilton, Ohio.  Connersville.  Rushville.  Shelbyville,  Indianapolis,  Danville, 
Greencastle.  Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  Paris.  Charleston.  Hillsboro,  and  Alton, 
Illinois,  thence  to  St.  Louis.  For  a  time  the  office  in  Greencastle  was  over 
a  store  on  the  southeast  corner  of  the  public  square,  then  was  removed  to  the 
upper  story  of  a  room  on  the  north  side  of  the  square.  The  operator  was  the 
late  Henry  \V.  Daniels,  who  likewise  had  charge  of  the  maintenance  of  the 
line  between  Manhattan,  where  it  struck  the  National  road,  and  Danville, 
Indiana.  The  line  only  touching  the  larger  places,  the  service  was  somewhat 
limited  and  it  wa.s  a  long  time  before  sending  messages  by  telegraph  became 
very  general. 

Late  in  the  forties,  before  lines  were  built  or  offices  opened  for  business, 
men  traveled  over  the  country  explaining  the  "magnetic  telegraph"  and  en- 
lightening the  people  as  to  its  operation  and  use.  They  were  doubtless  sell- 
ing stock  in  some  of  the  lines  then  being  promoted.  A  citizen  of  Greencastle, 
who  was  a  toy  then,  relates  that  he  remembers  seeing  the  experiments  con- 
ducted by  one  of  these  men  in  the  old  Presbyterian  church  in  the  west  part  of 
town.  The  stranger  placed  one  instrument  in  the  pulpit  and  another  in  the 
opposite  end  of  the  room,  connecting  the  two  by  a  wire  running  outside 
through  a  window,  then  around  the  building  and  back  in  through  another 
window.  The  operator  not  only  transmitted  messages  by  sound,  but  ignited 
and  exploded  a  handful  of  gunpowder  by  means  of  the  electric  spark.  The 
house  was  filled  with  people,  all  of  whom  were  impressed  if  not  actually  awed, 
at  the  contemplation  of  the  possibilities  of  this  wonderful  mysterious  power. 

In  1859  the  old  highway  line  was  abandoned  and  thereafter  all  business 
was  done  over  the  railroad  lines,  which  prompts  the  Banner  in  August,  1859, 
to  admonish  the  public  that  "a  reliable  telegraph  operator  and  a  telegraph  in 
first-class  working  order  running  from  Terre  Haute  to  Indianapolis  over  the 
Terre  Haute  &  Richmond  railroad  has  i-ecently  been  erected.  A  battery  has 
been  located  at  the  depot  at  this  place  for  the  benefit  of  the  company  and  the 
public.  The  New  Albanv  &  Salem  railroad  will  also  install  a  telegraph 
along  their  road  in  a  short  time,  when  the  public  will  have  the  privilege  of 
sending  dispatches  to  all  points  of  the  compass."  It  is  recalled  that  in  July, 
1861,  an  eager,  impatient  throng  filled  the  little  telegraph  office  in  the  "depot" 
of  the  St.  Louis.  Xew  Albany  &  Chicago  railroad  at  the  foot  of  Jackson 
street  during  the  greater  part  of  the  night  anxiously  awaiting  the  meager  and 
unsatisfactory  news  as  it  slowly  dripped  from  the  wires  indicating  the  rising 
or  falling  of  the  tide  at  the  distant  battle  of  Bull  Run. 


PLTNA.M    COLXTV.    IXDIAXA.  2T,q 

But  in  many  things  we  of  today  are  not  much  in  advance  of  our  fathers 
after  all;  and  when  we  think  of  their  crude  appliances  and  primitive  equip- 
ment we  wonder  they  were  ever  able  ti5  effect  the  little  history  tells  us  thev 
accomplished.  The  traveler  wlio  hoards  the  richly  upholstered,  vestibuled, 
gas-lighted  train  at  the  noon  hour  in  Greencastle  and  by  virtue  of  a  bee-line 
route,  a  smooth  track  and  the  fewest  possible  stops  rolls  into  Chicago  by  six 
o'clock,  often  wonders  what  the  past  generation  would  think  could  it  but  wit- 
ness or  realize  the  magnitude  of  the  accomplishment.  Here  is  the  time  table 
of  the  Xew  Albany  &  Salem  railroad  published  within  a  year  after  the 
first  train  ran  over  it :  Chicago  and  Detroit  Express  :  Leaves  Greencastle.  12  :io 
p.  m. ;  Crawfordsville,  1:45;  Lafayette.  3:30:  Michigan  City.  7:30,  and 
Chicago.  9  :30  p.  m.  To  make  this  journey  within  the  prescribed  time  and 
with  the  rude  macliinery  in  vogue  almost  sixty  years  ago  required  numerous 
stops,  a  change  of  trains  entire  at  Michigan  City  and  that.  too.  with  twentv- 
eight  more  miles  of  track  to  cover  than  the  present  route! 

AX    E.XTERPRISIXG    SPIRIT. 

Xor  can  it  be  said  that  w  ith  all  our  present  commercial  ad\-antages  we  are 
more  enterprising  or  aggressive  than  the  Greencastle  of  fifty  years  ago.  Mer- 
chants' associations  and  other  commercial  bodies,  to  advertise  and  develop 
the  material  and  industrial  resources  of  our  city  are  not  original  with  us  of 
the  twentieth  century.  As  early  as  1857,  the  Board  of  Trade — an  institution 
designed  to  call  the  "attention  of  outside  capital  to  our  natural  advantages  for 
manufacturing  purposes" — was  organized  in  the  old  court  house.  John  A. 
^Nlatson  was  elected  president;  G.  W.  Ames,  secretary;  R.  L.  Hathawav,  treas- 
urer; and  Dr.  A.  C.  Stevenson.  W.  H.  Thornburgh,  D.  L.  Southard.  Doctor 
Cowgill,  Basil  Brawner.  Dan.  S.  Place.  Addison  Daggy.  John  S.  Jennings.  T. 
C.  Hammond  and  W.  H.  Coates.  directors."  The  Banner  of  the  period  indi- 
cates a  purpose  of  raising  a  fund  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  thousand  dollars  with 
which  to  encourage  well-established  firms  or  companies  to  construct  factories 
in  Greencastle. 

As  indicative  <>f  the  commercial  growth  and  industrial  status  of  Green- 
castle fifty  years  ago  the  following  article  by  Doctor  Stevenson,  entitled 
"Greencastle  Thirty  Years  Ago."  was  published  in  the  Banner  January  4. 
i860: 

■"Greencastle  has  grown  much  within  thirty  years.  The  citizens  of  thirty 
vears  ago  have  nearlv  all  died  or  removed;  but  few  remain. 


240  WEIK  S    HISTORV    OF 

"Thirty  years  ago  there  were  three  small  dry  goods  stores  in  Greencastle 
and  five  or  six  groceries.  The  latter  contained  each  about  one  barrel  of 
whisky  and  a  dozen  tin  cups.  Now  there  are  about  thirteen  large  dry  goods 
stores,  two  large  drug  stores,  two  heavy  hardware  and  tin  establishments,  two 
exclusively  tin  and  stove  stores,  and  four  heavy  clothing  establishments. 
Thirty  years  ago  there  was  one  saddler  who  put  new  seats  in  old  saddles. 
There  were  two  cabinet  shops,  t\vo  smith  shops,  a  few  carpenters  and  a  brick 
layer.  Now  there  are  two  saddler  shops,  doing  a  large  business,  two  cabinet 
shops,  one  of  them  propelled  by  steam.  There  are  now  five  or  si.x  smith 
shops,  a  large  number  of  carpenters,  bricklayers,  plasterers  and  painters; 
two  shops  by  steam  for  planing  or  dressing  lumber,  making  doors,  sash,  etc. ; 
two  woolen  factories,  three  steam  grist-mills  and  one  foundry;  two  plow  fac- 
tories, two  wagon  shops,  and  one  carriage  factory  doing  a  large  business. 
Thirty  years  ago,  there  was  one  six-months  school.  Now  there  is  one  flourish- 
ing college,  one  femafe  seminary  and  a  numlier  of  common  schools  and  prob- 
ably some  two  or  three  high  schools.  There  was  but  one  church — an  inferior 
log  building.  Now  there  are  two  large  brick  Methodist  churches,  two  Presby- 
terian churches  and  one  each  of  the  Christian,  Baptist  and  Catholic  denomina- 
tions.    There  is  now  one  bank. 

"These  are  some  of  the  very  striking  differences  between  now  and  then, 
to  which  may  be  added  now  two  railroad  depots  within  our  town.  Circuit 
court  ^vas  then  held  in  a  small  room  of  a  dwelling  house  and  presided  over  by 
Judge  Porter.  The  leading  attorneys  were  Robert  F.  Glidewell  and  George 
F.  Waterman.  Henrv  Secrest  was  then  looked  upon  as  a  promising  beginner. 
A  few  others  attended  from  other  points,  viz :  Thomas  Blake  and  Judge  Kin- 
ney, from  Terre  Haute;  Thomas  Adams,  from  Spencer;  James  Whitcomb  and 
Craven  P.  Hester,  from  Bloomington.  Now  there  is  a  good  court  house :  but 
whether  there  has  been  an  improvement  in  the  bar  we  will  not  undertake  to 
decide,  as  that  might  be  considered  invidious.  Then  the  "overjoyful'  was  not 
feared  as  now  and  we  very  well  remember  several  little  frolics  that  the  young 
men  had  in  those  days.  Apple  toddy  till  midnight  and  then  a  moderate  up- 
heaving till  morning. 

"  'Ramp  creek'  and  the  'Forks'  in  those  days  met  weekly  on  the  public 
square  to  drink  whisky  and  crack  jokes  and  sometimes  fists.  The  girls  and 
boys  did  their  courting  in  the  same  chimney  corner  where  the  old  folks  sit, 
as  there  was  commonlv  but  one  room  to  the  dwellings — still  it  was  well  done 
and  soon  through.  A  sociality  pervaded  S(:K:iety  then  which  is  not  found  now, 
as  the  following  instance  of  kind  attention  will  illustrate  : 


PTTXAM    COLXTV.    IXDIAXA.  24I 

■'The  first  temperance  meeting  was  called  ant!  we  had  the  honor  of  being 
speaker.  John  S.  Jennings.  Colonel  Sands  and  friends  manifested  their  good 
feeling  for  the  cause  by  drinking  the  health  of  the  speaker  frequently,  during 
the  speech,  from  a  large  bottle  of  brandy." 

COMMERCIAL  ACTIVITY. 

The  periofl  following  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  was  one  of  great  com- 
mercial and  industrial  activity  everywhere  and  in  no  place  were  the  improx'ed 
conditions  more  marked  than  in  Greencastle.  As  one  means  of  promoting  the 
city's  growth,  a  street  railway  to  connect  the  two  railroad  stations  and  traxers- 
jng  the  residence  section  was  proposed.  On  Monday,  September  25,  1865, 
a  meeting  of  citizens  to  consider  the  project  was  held  in  the  Exchange  Bank. 
A  railroad  builder  named  Sheldon  was  present  and  explained  how  the  road 
could  be  Ixu'lt  and  i~)perated.  "propelled  by  a  dum  engine,  etc.,"  for  thirtv 
thousand  dollars.  A  stock  company  was  proposed  and  can\'assers  were  sent 
out  to  secure  the  requisite  subscriptions.  'Tf  this  enterprise  is  pushed  forward 
t(i  completion."  says  the  Banner,  "it  will  mark  an  epoch  in  the  historv  of  our 
city  of  the  utmost  importance.  It  will  be  but  the  beginning  of  the  work 
which  shall  raise  Greencastle  to  a  position  in  point  of  wealth,  enterprise  and 
notoriety  inferior  to  none  of  our  sister  cities  in  Indiana.  It  will  give  an  im- 
petus to  our  onward  march  in  growth  and  prosperity  which  shall  sweep  awav 
all  obstacles  and  render  us  one  of  the  most  thriving  and  commanding  com- 
munities in  the  state.  Other  and  vaster  improvements  and  enterprises  will 
follow  upc^n  the  heels  of  this  one;  manufactories  of  every  character  will  spring 
up  and  the  immense  wealth  of  Putnam  county  in  undeveli^ped  material  will  he 
brought  into  requisition  and  we  shall  march  on  as  the  leading  countv  rif  the 
state." 

In  due  season  the  re([uired  thirty  thousand  dollars  of  stock  was  subscribed 
and  the  company  dul_\-  organized.  At  the  meeting  of  the  stockholders  the  fol- 
lowing directors  were  chosen:  W.  D.  .\llen.  Lee  \V.  Sinclair,  G.  H.  Voss, 
E.  T.  Keightley.  Melvin  ^[cKee.  Reuben  Slavens  and  William  Dagg}-.  The 
road  was  promptly  built  antl  successfully  operated  for  many  years,  the  cars 
being  drawn  by  horses.  In  1895  a  new  franchise  permitting  the  road  to  substi- 
tute electricitv  for  horses  was  granted  h\-  the  city  council,  but  owing  to  the 
removal  of  the  \'andalia  passenger  station  and  the  probable  entry  into  the 
city  of  an  interurban  electric  road  from  Indianapolis  the  further  operation  of 
the  horse-car  line  was  deemed  unprofitable  and  the  enterprise  was  abandoned. 

.\notlier  industry  which  sprang  up  soon  after  the  construction  of  the 
(  16 ) 


242  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

street  railway  was  the  Greencastle  Iron  and  Nail  Company.  The  organiza- 
tion was  formed  in  the  spring  of  1867.  After  sixty  thousand  dollars  worth 
of  stock  had  been  taken  the  concern  was  organized  as  follows :  J.  F.  Darnall, 
president;  A.  S.  Bryant,  secretary  and  treasurer;  F.  P.  Nelson,  R.  M.  Hazlett. 
William  Bridges,  John  Lundy,  Samuel  Catherwood.  Andrew  ^I.  Lockridge 
and  Oliver  P.  Badger,  directors.  The  factory  was  built  near  the  Terre  Haute 
&  Indianapolis  depot  and  was  operated  under  the  supervision  of  John  Lundy, 
who  had  come  from  near  Pittsburg  and  was  familiar  with  the  iron  industry 
in  all  its  branches.  It  at  once  began  the  manufacture  of  nails  and  employed 
in  the  neighborhood  of  one  hundred  fifty  hands.  By  virtue  of  a  commend- 
able policy  on  the  part  of  the  management,  it  was  free  from  labor  troubles  and 
rarely  ever  shut  down  save  for  necessary  repairs.  It  was  in  continuous  opera- 
tion for  over  twenty  years.  When  natural  gas  was  discovered  in  northeastern 
Indiana,  the  stockholders  accepted  an  offer  from  the  city  of  Muncie  of  free 
fuel,  free  factory  site  and  immunity  from  taxation  for  five  years  and  moved 
(the  plant  there.  It  was  the  greatest  and  most  profitable  industrial  enterprise, 
so  far  as  the  interests  of  the  people  were  concerned,  Greencastle  harl  ever  had. 
In  January,  1868,  the  prosperity  of  Greencastle  had  evidently  reached 
high  tide,  as  the  following  item  in  the  Banner  at  that  time  will  indicate : 
"Greencastle  is  becoming  a  place  of  importance.  We  have  one  iron  and  nail 
factorv.  one  foundry  and  machine  shop,  two  flouring  mills,  one  pump  factory, 
one  carriage  factor\-,  four  wagon  shops,  seven  blacksmith  shops,  six  saloons, 
eight  churches,  thirty-five  clergymen,  one  college,  one  high  school,  one  young 
ladies'  school,  a  number  of  other  schools  with  efficient  teachers,  ten  physicians, 
twentv-four  lawyers,  a  population  of  five  thousand,  and  more  handsome  ladies 
than  any  other  town  in  Indiana." 

DISTINGUISHED    CITIZENS. 

Greencastle  has  been  the  home  and  in  some  cases  the  birthplace  of  many 
persons  of  distinction.  Among  the  persons  who  have  thus  attracted  public 
attention  are  Edward  W.  AIcGaughey,  John  Hanna  and  Courtland  C.  Mat- 
son,  who  have  represented  this  district  in  Congress ;  Andrew  J.  Hunter,  con- 
gressman from  Paris,  Illinois,  who  was  born  in  Greencastle;  Joseph  E.  Mc- 
Donald, late  United  States  senator  from  Indiana;  Newton  Booth,  United 
States  senator  from  California;  James  Harlan,  United  States  senator  from 
Iowa  and  a  member  of  President  Lincoln's  cabinet;  Daniel  W.  \'oorhees, 
L'nited  States  senator  from  Indiana,  who  graduated  from  Asbun,-  University 
and  was  married  in  Greencastle;  Albert  J.  Beveridge,  United  States  senator 


PUTXAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  243 

from  Indiana,  who  likewise  was  educated  and  married  in  Greencastle ;  Albert 
G.  Porter,  late  governor  of  Indiana  and  a  graduate  of  Asburs^  University; 
Delana  R.  Eckels,  late  chief  justice,  supreme  court  Utah  Territory;  Delano  E. 
Williamson,  late  attorney-general  of  Indiana;  Dr.  Hiram  E.  Talbott,  auditor 
of  Indiana;  Thomas  Hanna.  lieutenant-governor  of  Indiana;  John  Clark  Rid- 
path.  the  eminent  historian,  born  near  Fillmore;  Amelia  Kussner,  the  famous 
miniature  painter,  born  in  Greencastle;  Robert  Hitt,  late  congressman  from 
Illinois,  who  lived  and  attended  college  here  :  William  C.  Larrabee  and  Miles  J. 
Fletcher,  late  superintendents  of  public  instruction  for  Indiana;  W.  R.  Mc- 
Keen.  late  president  of  the  V'andalia  railroad,  who  attended  college  here,  and 
Matthew  Simpson,  Thomas  Bowman,  Isaac  W.  Joyce  and  Edwin  H.  Hughes, 
bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  all  of  whom  were  residents  of 
Greencastle. 

CASUALTIES. 

Only  two  casualties  worthy  of  record — and  neither  of  them  attended  by 
a  single  death — have  ever  visited  Greencastle.  The  first  was  a  tornado — or 
cyclone  as  it  is  now  called — which  struck  the  city  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, November  8,  1867.  The  current  issue  of  the  Banner  contains  a  detailed 
account  of  the  disaster  which  is  too  elaborate  for  insertion  here.  The  storm, 
which  came  from  the  southwest,  after  blowing  over  dwellings,  barns  and 
everything  else  in  its  path,  "next  struck  Asbury  University,  smashing  in  the 
windows,  tearing  the  bricks  from  the  walls  and  starting  the  immense  roof, 
which  for  a  wonder  it  did  not  carry  off.  Had  the  roof  gone,  two  hundred 
students  who  were  in  the  building  at  the  time  would  have  been  buried  beneath 
the  ruins.  Simpson  Chapel  and  the  Old  Seminary  were  next  struck  and  al- 
most entirely  unroofed  and  parts  of  the  walls  carried  away.  The  upper  room 
in  Simpson  Chapel  was  a  complete  wreck — furniture,  chandeliers,  evervthing, 
in  fact,  broken  to  pieces.  The  roof  was  precipitated  into  the  yard  of  Mr. 
Westerfield,  doing  considerable  damage.  The  old  Seminary  is  injured  beyond 
repair.  A  part  of  it  was  carried  across  the  street  and  landed  in  the  vard  of 
J.  F.  Duckworth.  *  *  *  *  ^he  Baptist  church  was  then  struck  and  en- 
tirely destroyed.  It  was  a  brick  building,  erected  only  a  few  years  since  at 
a  cost  of  five  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars.  It  seems  impossible  that  a 
building  apparently-  so  strong  could  be  so  utterly  destroyed — the  walls  torn 
down  within  a  few  feet  of  the  ground.  *  *  *  _4^g  j^g-jj-  ^g  ^.^^^  j^g  gathered 
the  loss  will  exceed  thirteen  thousand  dollars." 

The  second  misfortune  or  casualty  which  visited  the  good  little  city  of 
Greencastle  was  the  noted  fire  of  October.  1874;  and  as  no  better  storv  of  it 


244 


VVEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


is  extant  than  the  account  by  Gilkim  Ridpath.  the  hberty  is  taken  to  incor- 
porate it  in  these  columns.  It  was  prepared  five  years  after  the  fire  occurred 
and  is  as  follows  : 

"The  history  of  Greencastle  for  a  period  of  more  than  fifty  years  was  one 
of  uninterrupted  prosperity.  During  that  time  no  great  calamity  of  any  kind 
befell  the  city  to  mar  the  general  prosperity  or  happiness  of  its  citizens.  No 
great  epidemic  or  contagion  has  ever  spread  within  its  borders,  and  the  relig- 
ious character  of  its  citizens  has  allowed  no  moral  deformity  to  rear  itself  in 
their  midst. 

"The  historv  of  the  city  up  to  the  memorable  night  of  October  28.  1874, 
shows  a  remarkable  exemption  from  fires,  only  four  of  any  note  having  oc- 
curred previous  to  that  date.  The.se  were  the  destruction  of  Lee  W.  Sinclair's 
woolen-mill  in  1865,  R.  L.  Higert's  brewery  in  187 1,  Mr.  Gage's  flouring- 
mill  in  1872,  and  the  Indiana  Female  College  in  the  year  following.  In  con- 
sequence of  this  immunity  from  anything  like  a  general  conflagration,  the  city 
was  totally  unprepared  for  such  an  emergency  when  the  time  of  trial  came. 

"On  the  night  mentioned,  about  half  past  ten  o'clock,  the  planing-mill  of 
C.  J.  Kimble  &  Son  caught  fire  and  was  soon  enveloped  in  flames.  A  brisk 
gale  from  the  southwest  carried  the  burning  embers  in  its  course,  and  in  the 
short  space  of  four  or  five  hours  nearly  six  squares  of  the  best  business  blocks 
and  private  residences  were  laid  waste.  In  those  few  hours  were  consumed 
thirty-seven  business  houses,  twelve  dwellings,  two  livery  stables,  one  hotel, 
one  furniture  factory,  one  express  office  and  the  postoffice.  Added  to  these, 
a  large  number  of  outhouses  and  a  vast  amount  of  personal  property  fell  a 
prey  to  the  devouring  flames.  Both  in  its  suddenness  and  destructiveness, 
the  damage  done  to  Greencastle  was  greater,  in  proportion  to  size,  population 
and  wealth,  than  that  done  to  Chicago  by  the  great  fire  in  that  city. 

"At  the  anniversary  meeting  held  by  the  citizens  one  year  after  the  fire, 
a  committee  on  losses  and  insurance  reported  a  loss  of  capital  amounting  to 
two  hundred  fifty-six  thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  dollars,  on  which 
there  was  an  insurance  of  one  hundred  sixteen  thousand  three  hundred  and 
eio-hty-one  dollars.  The  same  committee  reported  that  there  should  be  added 
to  the  above  sum  a  considerable  amount  of  unestimated  loss,  making  the  total 
much  larger  than  that  presented,  and  the  historical  committee  placed  their  esti- 
mate at  the  sum  of  four  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

"On  the  night  of  ]\Iarch  8.  1875.  another  fire  broke  out,  originating  in 
Sherfey's  furniture  store.  The  flames  soon  communicated  to  the  block  of 
buildings  fronting  on  the  south  side  of  the  square,  the  best  block  remaining  in 
the  citv.     The  reported  losses  by  this  fire  were  in  the  aggregate  forty-three 


PL'TXA.M     COUNTY,    IXDIAXA.  245 

thousand  and  seventy-seven  dollars,  on  which  tiiere  was  an  insurance  of  thirty- 
seven  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-seven  dollars. 

"Never  did  the  character  of  Greencastle's  citizens  show  to  better  advan- 
tage than  during  the  year  succeeding  the  fire.  Within  that  time,  there  were 
made  or  nearly  completed  brick  and  store  improvements  to  the  value  of  two 
hundred  fifty-two  thousand  five  huntlred  dollars  and  wooden  buildings  and  re- 
pairs wonh  ninety-eight  thousand  three  huntlred  and  five  dollars,  making  a 
total  of  three  hundred  fifty-nine  thousand  eight  hundred  and  five  dollars. 
These  works  required  the  consumption  of  four  million  eight  hundred  sixty-five 
thousand  brick,  and  stone  valued  as  it  came  from  the  quarr>'  at  thirty 
thousand  dollars.  During  the  same  period,  there  were  made  by  the  city,  street 
improvements  worth  six  thousand  dollars.  Within  the  same  time,  the  city 
had  provided  two  fire  engines,  two  engine  houses  with  alarm  bells,  eleven  cis- 
terns and  one  pool,  having  a  united  capacity  of  nearly  ten  thousand  barrels, 
and  there  was  organized  a  fire  department  in  two  companies  alrearly  well 
drilled  and  disciplined,  to  fight  the  fire  fiend  whenever  he  might  show  his 
lurid  front. 

"At  the  end  of  the  year  there  were  in  the  city  seventy-five  mercantile 
houses,  employing  a  business  capital,  exclusive  of  cash  and  real  estate  neces- 
sary for  their  various  operations,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  three  hundred 
fifty-five  thousand  dollars,  doing  a  business  of  over  nine  hundred  thousand 
dollars  per  annum,  employing  directly  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-fi\e  per- 
sons and  supporting  over  four  hundred  and  fifty. 

"There  were,  also,  eighteen  manufacturing  establishments,  having  a  com- 
bined capital  of  three  himdred  six  thousand  dollars  and  employing  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty-eight  operatives.  The  weekly  payments  for  labor  in  these  were 
four  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifteen  dollars  and  per  annum  two  hundred 
twelve  thousand  dollars.  The  annual  products  from  these  factories  were 
worth  at  first  sale  five  hundred  eighty-seven  thousand  four  hundred  dollars. 
The  value  of  raw  material  consumed  cannot  be  given.  These  estimates  for 
merchandising  and  manufacturing  are  given  exclusive  of  persons  indirectly 
eniphjyed,  such  as  railroaders,  draymen  and  common  laborers." 

What  has  taken  place  in  Greencastle  since  the  incidents  just  related  are 
matters  of  such  recent  occurrence  no  part  of  their  history  has,  thus  far,  es- 
caped the  attention  of  the  average  reader  of  this  volume.  To  recount  them, 
therefore,  would  be  a  needless  repetition.  Some  items  may  have  been  over- 
looked, but  they  are  of  minor  importance  and  their  omission  in  no  degree 
mars  the  outline  of  the  story.  Of  her  people  and  her  achievements  Green- 
castle is  justly  proud.  She  rejoices  in  her  past  prosperity  and  her  future  is 
full  of  promise. 


Col. Alexander   S.  Farrow 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


COL.  ALEXANDER  SHORE  FARROW. 

Xo  history  of  Putnam  county  would  be  complete  without  a  resume  of 
the  intensely  interesting  and  useful  life  record  of  Col.  Alexander  S.  Farrow, 
who  was,  more  than  three  decades  ago,  called  to  a  higher  plane  of  action.  He 
is  well  remembered  for  his  many  good  deeds  and  strong  innate  characteristics, 
having  left  behind  him.  among  many  other  treasured  inheritances,  what  is 
most  to  be  desired— a  good  name. 

Colonel  Farrow  was  bom  near  Grassy  Lick.  Montgomen.-  county,  Ken- 
tucky, April  21,  1794.  His  father.  William  Farrow,  a  sterling  representative 
of  Scotch-Irish  parentage,  caught  the  spirit  of  the  tide  of  emigration  that 
poured  through  the  Cumberland  Gap  and  other  passes  of  the  Blue  Ridge 
mountains  in  the  early  days,  and  left  his  Virginia  homestead  to  try  his  for- 
tunes anew  in  the  then  boundless  undeveloped  middle  West.  Those  were  days 
that  tried  men's  souls  and  such  tedious,  hazardous  journeys  were  no  pleasure 
excursions,  and  for  years  after  the  advent  of  the  first  settlers,  the  stockaded 
village  ami  huge  block-house  were  the  only  title  proofs  to  the  soil,  but  the 
reign  of  the  savage  here  was  forever  ended  by  General  Wayne's  campaign  of 
1794.  In  the  closing  year  of  this  Indian  war,  Mr.  Farrow  was  born,  and  he 
grew  to  manhood  before  the  countty  around  his  home  had  been  entirely  re- 
claimed from  primitive  conditions.  Thus  familiarized  from  childhood  with 
the  simple  customs  and  wants  of  the  pioneer  farmer,  he  became  qualified  for 
the  part  he  afterward  performed  in  the  opening  and  settling  of  a  new  country. 

In  August  following  the  declaration  of  war  against  Great  Britain  in  1812, 
three  regiments  of  volunteer  infantry  and  one  of  regulars  left  Georgetown, 
Kentucky,  for  the  relief  of  Detroit.  Alexander  S.  Farrow,  then  a  lad  of 
eighteen,  could  not  repress  his  youthful  patriotism  and  joined  this  detach- 
ment under  Capt.  Samuel  L.  Williams.  At  the  crossing  of  the  Ohio  they  re- 
ceived the  news  of  the  surrender  of  Detroit  and  Michigan  Territory  by  Gen- 
eral Hull  to  the  British,  but  continued  their  march  under  General  Harrison  to 


24o  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

Ft.  Wayne,  on  the  Maiiniee.  which  was  invested  by  the  Indians,  and  young 
Farrow  participated  in  the  subsequent  operations  against  the  red  men,  under- 
going the  vicissitudes  incident  to  a  soldier,  their  sufferings  from  hard  marches, 
cold  and  privations  in  general  lieing  ver\-  tiying,  and  thev  were  frequently  re- 
duced to  the  point  of  starvation.  '"At  one  time,"  Mr.  Farrow  related,  "we 
went  seventeen  days  without  a  mouthful  of  bread,  subsisting  on  fat  pork 
alone."  It  was  interesting  to  hear  him  relate  the  trials  of  those  davs,  how  the 
horses  died  of  exhaustion  or  became  useless  from  star\ation,  so  that  the  sleds 
carrying  their  baggage  were  drawn  by  the  soldiers  themselves,  si.x  men  being 
harnessed  in  the  place  of  one  horse.  At  night  they  bivouacked  in  the  frozen 
forest,  sleeping  on  beds  of  bark  and  boughs  upon  which  thev  spread  their 
blankets.  The  morning  reveille  woke  many  a  poor  fellow  to  the  consciousness 
of  frosted  limbs  and  racking  rheumatic  pains.  The  first  week  in  January  a 
two- foot  snow  fell  which  rendered  their  marches  slower  and  more  painful. 
At  this  stage  of  the  return  march  a  runner  brought  news  of  the  threatening 
of  Frenchtown  by  the  British  and  Indians  and  a  detachment  of  five  hundred 
soldiers  was  sent  to  the  town's  relief.  In  that  detachment  was  young  Far- 
row, who  was  destined  shortly  to  more  trying  experiences  than  ever.  He 
fought  under  General  Winchester  there  iji  a  losing  battle  against  General  Proc- 
tor's forces  and  was  taken  prisoner  to  Maiden,  escaping  the  famous  massacre 
of  the  River  Raisin.  He  with  his  comrades  were  confined  for  many  days 
in  open  warehouses,  where  they  suffered  from  lack  of  fire  and  food.  From 
^Maiden  they  were  marched  through  southern  Canada  to  Fort  George  on  the 
Niagara  river,  a  journey  of  two  weeks,  at  which  place  they  were  parolled  and 
sent  across  the  line.  From  this  point  the\'  crossed  the  country  on  foot  to 
Pittsburg,  and  thence  by  water  to  Kentucky.  Xotuithstanding  the  hard- 
ships of  this  adventure  in  the  wild  and  frozen  north,  be.set  with  the  gravest 
dangers,  young  Farrow  never  regretted  his  service  to  iiis  countr)-. 

Shortly  after  his  return  from  his  experience  in  tiie  army.  Colonel  Far- 
row was  married,  being  }et  under  age.  and  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
old  home,  adopting  the  occupation  of  a  fanner.  On  ^-fay  26,  1815,  he  was 
commissioned  bv  Gov.  Lsaac  Shelby  adjutant  of  the  Thirty-first  Regiment  of 
the  Kentucky  Militia,  and  on  December  22.  1820.  Governor  Adair  appointed 
him  brigade  inspector  of  the  Fifth  Brigade,  -\bout  this  time  he  became  a 
candidate  for  the  Legislature,  and  canvassed  his  nati\-e  county  in  a  series  of 
convincing  sjjceches,  being  an  enthusiastic  supporter  of  Henr\-  Cla\'  and  his 
doctrine.  He  was  subsequently  elected  and  \ery  ably  served  one  or  more 
terms  in  the  General  .\s.semijly,  being  barely  eligible  at  the  time  of  his  first 
election  and  perhaps  the  \oungest  man  in  tlie  .\ssembly. 


PUTXAM    COLNTV,    IXDIAXA.  249 

In  1830  Colonel  I'arrow  tleteniiined  to  cast  his  lot  in  the  new  state  of 
Indiana,  where  cheaper  lands  and  better  facilities  were  offered  to  the  wants 
of  a  large  and  growing  family.  Accordingly  he  arrived  in  Putnam  county 
in  the  antnmn  i)f  that  year,  and  settled  nine  miles  north  of  Greencastle.  on 
lands  purchased,  in  part,  of  the  original  preemptors.  He  immeiliately  took 
an  active  and  leading  part  in  the  opening  and  deselopment  of  the  new  country, 
and  from  the  first  assumed  broad  antl  liberal  \ieus  in  all  his  undertakings 
and  in  his  intercourse  and  dealings  with  his  neighbors.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  to  introduce  blue  grass  into  the  coimty.  and  was  the  first  to  sow  it  ex- 
tensively, having  brought  a  supply  of  the  seed  on  his  removal  from  Kentucky. 
He  also  made  several  trips  to  Ohio  and  his  native  state,  bringing  back  valuable 
breeds  of  horses  and  cattle,  which  he  used  extensively  for  the  improvement  of 
the  stock  of  the  country.  March  15,  183J.  Governor  Xoble  commissioned 
him  colonel  of  the  Fifty-sixth  Regiment  of  Militia  and  as  such  he  regularly 
took  part  in  the  annual  drills  and  musters. 

Being  a  devoted  member  of  the  church.  Colonel  Farrow  early  felt  the 
deprivation  occasioned  by  the  want  of  such  an  association  in  his  new  home. 
and.  with  characteristic  promptitude,  he  organized  in  his  own  house,  with 
the  aid  of  a  few  of  his  neighbors,  the  first  church  association  e\er  held  in  that 
part  of  the  country,  the  organization  consisting  of  nine  members.  Colonel 
Farrow  and  wife.  James  Xelson  and  wife.  Henr\-  Foster  and  wife  and  a  Mr. 
Blake,  also  John  Leaton  and  wife. 

In  185 1  Colonel  Farrow  was  elected  one  of  the  representatives  from  Put- 
nam county  to  the  state  constitutional  convention,  and  the  records  of  that 
assemblage  will  show  that  during  the  four  months"  session  he  was  never 
absent  from  his  seat  or  evaded  a  vote  on  any  of  the  r|uestions  that  came  be- 
fore that  body,  for  he  never  desired  to  conceal  his  views  on  any  subject. 

Early  in  life  Colonel  Farrow  took  a  decided  stand  for  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance and  the  suppression  of  the  litpior  traffic.  He  was  among  the  first 
to  throw  the  whiskv  jug  from  his  house  and  announce  to  his  neighbors  that 
he  would  furnish  no  more  liquor  at  log-rollings  and  husking-bees,  let  the 
consequences  be  what  thev  would.  His  example  was  later  followed  by  many 
of  his  neighbors. 

Colonel  Farrow  [xisses.sed  remarkably  strong  qualities  lx)th  of  head  and 
heart,  and  he  w  as  at  all  times  manly  and  dignifiefl  in  character  and  honest  and 
outspoken  in  the  expression  of  his  views  and  opinions.  Hyp<icrisy  and  du- 
plicity found  no  lodgment  in  his  composition,  and  his  inability  to  see  such 
traits  in  others  often  led  to  his  being  imposed  upon  by  designing  and  un- 
scrupulous men.     He  was  alike  free  from  an  envious  and  jealous  disix)sition. 


250  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

and  it  has  been  said  of  him,  indeed,  that,  practically,  he  did  not  know  the 
meaning  of  the  terms.  He  possessed  the  virtue  of  patience  in  a  remarkable 
degree,  and  whether  in  health  or  sickness,  in  prosperity  or  misfortune,  his 
mind  adapted  itself  with  philosophic  complaisance  to  the  conditions  of  his  lot. 
His  natural  bent  of  mind  was  toward  politics,  subject  to  a  strong  moral  and 
religious  supervision,  and  being  an  honest  opponent  and  always  remarkably 
conscientious,  the  later-day  school  of  politics  found  no  favor  in  his  sight.  He 
was  a  close  and  constant  reader  on  all  topics  of  the  day,  his  mind  being,  seem- 
ingly, as  clear  at  fourscore  to  percei\e  and  analyze  the  drift  of  events  as  in 
the  prime  and  vigor  of  life.  His  religious  convictions  were  the  steady  and 
gradual  growth  of  a  lifetime,  and  became  at  length  remarkably  strong  and 
deep  seated.  He  was  moral  from  his  childhood,  and,  as  an  instance  of  his 
moral  rectitude  of  mind,  it  may  be  told,  that  on  the  occasion  of  his  marriage, 
although  not  a  member  of  the  church,  he  announced  to  his  wife  that  they 
would  begin  life  with  the  daily  practice  of  family  prayer. 

Colonel  Farrow  was  twice  married,  and  was  the  father  of  six  sons  and 
four  daughters,  all  of  them  the  children  of  his  first  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  Nelson.  The  total  number  of  his  descendants  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  ninety-six.  Two  of  his  children,  William  Simpson  and  Francis 
Marion,  had  died. 

This  venerable  and,  in  many  respects,  remarkable  patriarch  was  gathered 
in  the  fullness  of  his  years  to  the  reward  of  his  merits  on  March  31,  1877, 
at  the  home  of  his  eldest  daughter  in  Greencastle,  leaving  behind  him  the  rich 
remembrance  of  a  blameless  life  to  become  the  inheritance  of  his  children  and 
his  children's  children  forever,  while  he  sleeps  the  sleep  of  the  just  on  the 
old  homestead  nine  miles  north  of  Greencastle,  in  the  family  cemeterj-.  Here, 
in  the  soil  he  had  reclaimed  from  the  wilderness,  by  the  highway  he  had 
traveled  when  it  was  but  a  blazed  trail,  and  in  sight  of  the  church  he  had  or- 
ganized in  his  early  manhood,  he  rests  from  his  weary  pilgrimage  of  four 
score  years,  but  the  light  of  his  example  is  still  shining  brightly  on  the  path- 
wavs  of  his  numerous  descendants. 


COL.  COURTLAXD  CUSHIXG  MATSON. 

It  is  no  easy  task  to  describe  adequately  a  man  who  has  led  an  eminently 
active  and  busy  life  and  who  has  attained  a  position  of  relative  distinction 
in  the  community  with  which  his  interests  are  allied.  But  biography  finds 
its  most  perfect  justification,  nevertheless,   in  the  tracing  and   recording  of 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  25 1 

such  a  life  history.  It  is.  then,  with  a  full  appreciation  of  all  that  is  demanded 
and  of  the  painstaking  scrutiny  that  must  be  accorded  every  statement,  and 
yet  with  a  feeling  of  satisfaction,  that  the  writer  essays  the  task  of  setting 
forth  the  details  of  such  a  record  as  has  been  that  of  Colonel  Matson,  who  has 
won  wide  distinction  as  a  lawyer,  soldier,  statesman  and  public-spirited  citizen 
of  Putnam  county,  where  he  has  been  too  well-known  for  more  than  a  half 
century  to  need  a  formal  introduction  to  the  readers  of  this  work.  In  exam- 
ining his  life  record  we  find  much  that  is  worthy  of  commendation  and  his 
varied  and  mteresting  career  could  be  profitably  emulated  in  many  ways  by 
the  youth  whose  destinies  are  yet  matters  for  the  future  to  determine.  In 
early  life  he  found  it  essential  that  he  should  conquer,  and  this  could  only  be 
done  by  labor,  study,  resolute  and  heroic  action.  He  obeyed  the  commands 
of  industry  from  the  beginning  and  his  methods  have  always  been  those  of 
persevering  and  indefatigable  attention  to  business — truly  the  philosopher's 
stone  which  transmutes  all  things  to  gold.  His  energies  lia\e  always  been 
concentrated  on  a  fixed,  steady,  unalterable  and  honorable  purpose,  that  of 
attaining  success  in  his  profession  and  dignifying  it  by  obser\'ing  the  canons 
of  morality,  honestv  and  integrity,  by  which  it  can  only  be  exalted. 

Colonel  ^latson  is  a  native  of  Brookville.  Indiana,  where  he  first  saw 
the  light  of  dav  April  2^.  1S41.  the  son  of  Hon.  John  A.  ^latson,  one  of  the 
distinguished  attorneys  and  politicians  of  his  day  and  generation  in  Indiana,  a 
descendant  of  an  excellent  pioneer  ancestry.  He  received  a  good  education 
for  tho.se  early  davs  and  equipped  himself  for  his  profession,  beginning  the 
practice  of  law  in  Brookville  in  1833  and  continued  there  until  1S51.  becom- 
ing known  as  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  that  section  of  the  state,  and  from 
which  place  he  moved  to  Greencastle,  seeking  a  larger  field  for  the  exercise 
of  his  talents,  successfully  practicing  here  until  his  death.  July  15.  1870.  He 
was  a  strong  man  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  state  for  many  years  and  had 
the  distinction  of  being  the  Whig  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  old  Brook- 
ville district,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1S41.  He  was  a 
man  of  many  sterling  characteristics  and  wielded  a  very  potent  influence  in 
his  section  of  the  state.  He  was  married  in  1833.  while  living  at  Brookville, 
to  Margaretta  M.  Woelpper,  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  who  came  to  Brook- 
ville in  1832.  She  was  of  Welsh  descent,  while  Mr.  Matson's  ancestors 
were  Scotch-Irish. 

Colonel  Matson  was  ten  years  old  when  he  accompam'ed  his  parents  to 
Greencastle.  in  185 1.  When  he  reached  the  proper  age  he  was  placed  in 
school,  and,  being  an  ambitious  latl  and  desirous  of  following  in  the  footsteps 
of  his  father  in  the  legal  profession,  he  was  very  studious  and  made  an  excel- 


252  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

lent  record,  both  in  public  and  private  schools.  Completing  his  preparatory 
work,  he  entered  DePauw  (then  Asbury)  University,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  with  honor  in  the  class  of  1862,  having  left  the  university 
at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  for  the  purpose  of  enlisting.  later  grad- 
uating from  this  institution  without  further  study. 

As  a  law  student.  Colonel  Matson  had  for  his  able  preceptor  none  other 
than  his  worthy  father,  with  whom  and  Hon.  Solomon  Claypool  he  formed 
a  partnership  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar,  the  firm  continuing  as  one  of 
the  strongest  in  the  county  until  the  death  of  the  senior  Matson,  young  JVIat- 
son  then  forming  a  partnership  with  Judge  Cla}-pool,  which  continued  until 
the  latter's  removal  to  Indianapolis  in  1873,  after  which  he  practiced  his 
profession  alone  until  1880  with  the  e.xception  of  one  year,  when  he  had  as 
a  partner  Henr\-  H.  Mathias,  under  the  firm  name  of  Matson  &  Mathias. 

Having  taken  an  active  interest  in  politics  from  early  youth,  Colonel 
Matson  was  soon  singled  out  by  party  leaders  as  a  likely  candidate  for  public 
offices  of  importance,  and  in  the  early  eighties  he  was  elected  to  Congress 
from  the  fifth  district  of  Indiana  and  served  with  a  most  creditable  and 
praiseworthy  record  through  four  consecutive  Congresses,  from  the  forty- 
seventh  to  the  fiftieth,  inclusive.  In  these  he  was  one  of  the  conspicuous 
Democratic  figures  in  our  national  politics,  winning,  by  his  unusual  tact, 
fidelity  to  the  trusts  reposed  in  him  and  his  persistency  in  what  he  believed 
to  be  right,  not  only  the  admiration  and  respect  of  his  colleagues  but  the 
hearty  commendation  of  his  constituents,  irrespective  of  party  affiliations. 
Having  become  so  popular  in  Indiana  as  a  result  of  his  splendid  record  in 
Congress,  his  party  selected  him  as  their  candidate  for  Governor  in  1888, 
but  he  was  defeated  in  a  very  spirited  contest  by  Hon.  Alvin  P.  Hovey,  by 
two  thousand  one  hundred  and  ninety-one  votes.  The  Colonel  then  resumed 
his  practice  at  Greencastle,  and  soon  afterwards  became  attornev  for  the 
Louisville,  Xew  Albany  &  Chicago  Railroad  Company,  for  the  state  of 
Indiana,  which  position  he  held  very  satisfactorily  for  a  period  of  four  vears, 
at  the  end  of  which  he  again  took  up  practice  at  Greencastle,  and  also  formed 
a  partnership  with  Hon.  Joseph  Giles  at  Bedford,  Indiana,  which  was  con- 
tinued for  several  years,  his  son.  Smith  C.  Matson,  becoming  his  partner  in 
the  Greencastle  office  in  the  meantime.  In  1872  Colonel  Matson  was  elected 
prosecuting  attorney  of  Putnam  county  and  during  his  incumbencv  of  this 
office  he  successfully  prosecuted  the  Vandalia  Railroad  Company  to  recover 
school  fund  money  due  from  its  earnings  under  the  special  charter.  From 
1868  to  1870  he  was  district  attorney,  the  prosecuting  office  of  the  common 
pleas  court.  In  1878  he  was  chairman  of  the  Democratic  state  committee 
and  as  such  did  a  great  work  for  the  party  in  Indiana. 


PCTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  253 

Colonel  Matson.  when  twenty  years  of  age  and  while  a  student  in  Green- 
castle,  enlisted  in  a  company  of  students,  known  as  "'Asbury  Guards."  on 
April  14.  i86r.  the  day  after  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon,  and  serving  as 
such  until  June  5.  1862.  in  Company  K,  Sixteenth  Regiment  Indiana  Volun- 
teer Infantry.  On  the  last  mentioned  date  he  was  elected  second  lieutenant 
of  his  company  and  served  very  gallantly  as  such  until  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  enlistment.  Soon  after  his  discharge  he  was  appointed  adjutant  of 
the  post  at  Terre  Haute.  Hon.  R.  W.  Thompson  being  the  commandant, 
and  upon  the  organization  of  the  Seventy-first  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer 
Infantry,  he  was  made  adjutant  of  the  regiment,  which  lost  all  its  field 
officers.  August  30.  1862.  they  being  killed  at  the  battle  of  Richmond.  Ken- 
tucky, and  Mr.  Matson  was  at  once  appointed  to  succeed  Lieut.-Col.  M.  D. 
Topping.  Early  in  1863  the  Seventy-first  was  changed  to  a  cavalrv  regiment, 
— the  Sixth  Indiana. — of  which  organization  Mr.  ^latson  served  as  lieu- 
tenant-colonel until  the  close  of  the  war.  May.  1865  ;  then  the  Fifth  and  Si.xth 
Indiana  Cavalry  were  formed  into  one  regiment  and  Mr.  Matson  was  appointed 
its  colonel,  in  which  capacity  he  continued  to  serve  until  October,  followino-, 
when  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service,  having  made  a  gallant  soldier  and 
a  most  creditable  record,  having  participatetl  in  all  the  important  battles  in 
the  \\'est  up  to  Atlanta,  in  1864.  also  took  part  in  numerous  skirmishes  in 
Sherman's  campaign.  He  has  long  been  an  active  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 

On  December  12.  1871,  Colonel  Matson  was  married  to  Mary  X.  Far- 
row, second  daughter  of  Col.  William  L.  Farrow,  an  old  and  highlv  esteemed 
family  of  the  county.  The  Colonel  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren. Smith  C.  a  prominent  attorney  at  Ardmore.  Oklahoma:  Rees  F..  and 
Mary  Xelson.  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Walter  Brown,  living  in  Chicago. 

Colonel  Matson's  record  in  the  service  of  his  fellow  men  is  a  lono-  one 
and  many  instances  could  be  cited  of  his  fidelity  to  his  country-men,  especiallv 
while  a  member  of  Congress.  In  the  forty-ninth  session  he  introduced  a  bill 
.  and  had  it  passed  under  the  suspension  of  the  rules,  known  as  the  "Dependent 
Pension"  bill,  which  President  Cleveland  vetoed.  He  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  invalid  pensions  in  the  forty-eighth,  forty-ninth  and  fiftieth 
Congresses.  Fraternally  he  is  well  up  in  Masonr}',  having  attained  the 
Royal  Arch  degree. 

On  August  24.  1909.  Governor  Marshall  appointed  Colonel  Matson  a 
member  of  the  state  board  of  tax  commissioners,  for  four  years,  on  his  own 
motion,  when  there  were  seventy-three  applicants. 


254  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

Colonel  Matson  has  tried  many  of  the  most  important  civil  and  criminal 
cases  in  Indiana,  his  record  as  a  lawyer  ranking-  second  to  none  in  the  state. 
He  infuses  his  personality,  courage  and  conscience  into  his  work,  is  active 
among  his  books,  is  determined  and  has  the  strength  of  will  for  achievement. 
Habits  of  systematized  thought,  study  and  reflection  have  invigorated  his 
mind  and  he  has  always  had  clear  discernments  of  the  law,  comprehension 
of  its  principles,  and,  to  points  in  contention,  the  genius  of  their  application. 
He  is  a  safe  and  competent  adviser,  being  a  man  of  firm  and  decided  convic- 
tions, whether  in  the  law,  in  politics  as  a  Democrat  or  in  any  department  of 
thought  or  action  embodying  his  time  and  attention.  Frank,  bold,  honest, 
aggressive,  he  or  his  position  can  not  well  be  misunderstood,  acting  and 
thinking  quickly,  but  never  evading,  always  meeting  a  situation  squarely. 
He  is  known  as  a  man  of  energy,  intellect,  will;  has  self-purpose,  resolution 
and  determination,  throwing  his  entire  force  of  body  and  mind  upon  his 
work;  but  his  self-reliance  has  not  been  wholly  acquired;  it  was  born  in  him. 
In  his  private  and  social  relations  he  is  enjoyable,  genial,  animated,  enter- 
taining and  at  all  times  the  well  bred,  genteel  gentleman.  There  is  no  pre- 
tense or  display  about  him,  caring  little  for  the  "lime  light,"  merely  desiring 
to  do  his  duty  as  he  sees  and  understands  it  and  to  be  of  the  greatest  service 
to  his  country. 


SIMPSON  FARROW  LOCKRIDGE. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  sketch  belongs  to 
that  class  of  men  who  win  in  life's  battles  by  sheer  force  of  personality  and 
determination,  coupled  with  soundness  of  judgment  and  keen  discernment, 
and  in  whatever  he  has  undertaken  he  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  man  of 
ability  and  honor,  always  ready  to  lend  his  aid  in  defending  principles  affect- 
ing the  public  good,  having  very  ably  and  conscientiously  served  his  country 
in  the  capacities  of  legislator  and  soldier  and  equally  well  in  many  roles  dur- 
ing a  career  altogether  commendable. 

Simpson  Farrow  Lockridge  was  born  on  his  father's  farm,  fifteen  miles 
north  of  Greencastle,  Indiana,  January  23,  1846,  the  son  of  Andrew  M. 
Lockridge.  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Putnam  county  and  a  man  remem- 
bered by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances  for  his  probity  of  char- 
acter and  habits  of  industry.  He  was  of  Scotch  descent  on  his  father's  side 
and  of  Irish  extraction  on  his  mother's,  both  born  in  Montgomery  county, 
Kentucky,  where  they  grew  to  maturity,  married  and  successfully  engaged  in 


PUTNAM    COUXTY.    INDIANA.  255 

farming,  in  fact  the  Lockridges  for  many  generations  have  been  well-known 
agriculturists  and  stock  breeders  and  raisers  in  both  Kentucky  and  Indiana, 
and  Simpson  F.  seems  to  have  inherited  from  his  worthy  progenitors  his 
love  for  fine  stock  and  well  cultivated  fields,  thus  making  him  one  of  the  best 
known  breeders  of  fine  stock  in  this  part  of  the  state.  In  1835  the  family 
moved  from  Kentuclcy  to  Indiana,  locating  upon  land  in  Putnam  county, 
which  was  purchased  by  Grandfather  Lockridge  shortly  before  his  death, 
and  here,  amid  primitive  conditions,  like  other  pioneers  of  those  early  days, 
a  home  was  established,  a  clearing  made  in  the  wilderness  and  in  due  course 
of  time  a  good  farm  developed. 

Andrew  M.  Lockridge  married  Elizabeth  S.  Farrow,  daughter  of  Col. 
A.  S.  Farrow,  a  sterling  pioneer  of  Indiana,  having  come  to  this  state  from 
Kentucky  in  1830.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in  political  affairs  and  had  the 
distinction  of  being  a  member  of  the  convention  that  framed  the  constitution 
of  the  state.  The  names  Lockridge  and  Farrow  appear  on  the  regimental 
rolls  of  the  Revolutionary  war  and  the  war  of  1S12.  also  the  frontier  Indian 
wars.  Desiring  to  perpetuate  the  military  records  of  these  sterling  families, 
Simpson  F.  Lockridge  endeavored  to  enlist  in  the  Union  army  early  in  the 
Civil  war,  but  was  not  permitted  to  do  so  longer  than  a  short  period  at  a  time ; 
however,  he  saw  some  service  during  the  years  1862,  1863  and  1864,  while  a 
member  of  the  Seventy-eighth  and  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-third  Indiana 
A'olunteer  Regiments.  He  proved  his  mettle  so  well  and  was  so  faithful  in 
the  performance  of  every  duty  that  when  he  received  his  last  honorable  dis- 
charge he  wore  the  straps  of  a  sergeant.  This  service  made  him  eligible  for 
membership  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  he  was  honored  by 
General  Torrence  of  Minnesota,  as  aide-de-camp  on  his  staff  when  the  latter 
was  commander-in-chief  of  the  organization. 

After  he  returned  from  his  army  career  Mr.  Lockridge  entered  Asbury 
(now  DePauw)  University,  where  he  made  a  splendid  record  and  from  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  in  1868.  He  had  applied  himself  so  assiduously 
to  his  text  books  that  he  impaired  his  health,  and  to  recuperate  he  visited 
the  Pacific  coast,  remaining  there  about  a  year,  returning  home  greatly  in- 
vigorated. He  then  gratified  an  ambition  of  long  standing  by  beginning  the 
study  of  law;  but  finding  Blackstone  more  irksome  than  he  had  anticipated 
and  having  a  natural  longing  for  the  out-of-doors,  he  abandoned  the  law 
and  turned  his  attention  to  breeding  fine  cattle,  having  always  been  a  lover 
of  blooded  stock,  and  he  readily  conceived  the  idea  of  greatly  improving  the 
breed  of  the  cattle  then  in  Putnam  county,  knowing  that  this  would  mean 
much  in  a  financial  way  to  not  only  himself  but  to  the  whole  community, 


256  weik's  history  of 

and  lie  accordingly  set  to  work  developing  a  plan  with  this  end  in  view,  with 
the  result  that  he  has  accomplished  an  untold  amount  of  good  for  his  fellow 
men  and  has  doubtless  surpassed  in  this  and  in  a  financial  way  anything  ht 
could  have  done  had  he  continued  in  the  law.  His  pure-bred  stock  soon 
became  widely  known  and  were  the  admiration  of  all,  buyers  coming  to  him 
from  all  parts  of  the  county  and  adjoining  counties  soon  after  he  began  his 
work  in  1872.  In  1874  he  visited  Canada  in  quest  of  a  bull  as  leader  of  the 
herd,  finally  selecting  "Lord  Strathallan,"  an  unusually  splendid  specimen 
of  the  bovine  tribe.  He  was  bred  in  Scotland  and  Mr.  Lockridge  paid  the 
sum  of  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  for  him  and  shipped  him  to  his  farm  in 
Putnam  county.  Since  that  time  great  advancement  has  been  made  and  Mr.' 
Lockridge  has  become  widely  known  as  one  of  the  best  authorities  on  Short- 
horn cattle  in  the  country,  now  keeping  a  large  herd  of  pure-bred  Shorthorn 
cattle  on  his  excellent  farm  of  several  hundred  acres,  which  is  one  of  the 
model  farms  of  Putnam  county,  being  well  improved  in  every  respect,  is  well 
tilled  and  on  it  stands  a  modern  and  attractive  residence  and  substantial  and 
commodious  barns  and  outbuildings. 

Mr.  Lockridge  has  the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
American  Shorthorn  Breeders'  .-\ssociation.  and  he  has  been  an  important 
factor  in  the  affairs  of  the  same  from  the  first,  having  been  a  director  in  the 
association  since  its  incorporation  and  he  has  held  the  office  of  president  and 
secretary. 

Mr.  Lockridge  formerly  took  considerable  interest  in  politics  and  was 
often  called  into  the  councils  of  his  party.  As  a  result  of  his  public-spirit, 
his  genuine  worth  and  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  Republican  party,  he  was 
nominated  and  elected  as  state  senator  from  Putnam  and  Hendricks  counties, 
serving  two  tenns  from  1880  to  1884,  making  a  record  that  was  entirely 
creditable  to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  constituents,  irrespective 
of  party  ties.  Personally  he  is  a  good  mi.xer,  genial,  genteel,  well  informed 
on  all  current  topics  and  a  man  in  whom  the  utmost  confidence  is  reposed 
bv  those  who  know  him  best. 


GEORHE  WORTH  BEXCE.  M.  D, 

In  presenting  the  record  of  this  successful  and  representative  member  of 
the  Bence  familv.  one  of  the  best  established  and  most  highly  honored  of  Put- 
nam county  during  the  i)ast  half  century,  the  reader  will  not  only  find  much 
that  will  prove  interesting,  but  may  profit  by  those  experiences  which,  when 


^Ix^-v-^^^'-C 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  257 

properl\-  applied  to  those  conditions  that  (juite  generally  fall  to  the  lot  (jt  the 
a\erage  man.  invariably  lead  to  success.  For  the  past  quarter  of  a  century 
he  has  been  one  of  the  leading  physicians  in  this  community  which  has  long 
been  noted  for  the  high  order  of  its  medical  talent,  his  name  having  become 
a  household  w  ord  not  only  to  the  citizens  of  Greencastle  but  to  those  residing 
in  remote  parts  of  the  county  and  in  adjoining  coimties.  He  is  also  regarded 
as  one  of  the  county's  foremost  citizens,  being  deepl\'  concerned  in  all  that 
pertains  to  its  general  uplift  and.  although  a  very  busv  man.  he  is  always  readv 
to  do  his  full  share  in  furthering  any  mo\ement  looking  to  the  general  good. 

Doctor  Bence  was  born  near  Louisville,  in  Jefferson  county,  Kentucky, 
Xovember  1 1,  1846.  His  father,  Philip  Bence.  was  also  a  native  of  the  Blue 
Grass  state,  where  he  grew  to  maturity,  was  educated  and  where  he  took  up 
farming,  which  he  made  his  life  work.  He  moved  to  Indiana  in  1853.  locating 
in  Washington  township.  Putnam  county,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  in 
i88j,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years,  having  been  born  in  1801.  He  \\as  a 
very  industrious  and  honest  man.  respected  by  all  who  knew  him,  and  he 
became  inriuential  in  Washington  township,  although  he  led  a  rather  quiet  life 
on  his  farm.  He  was  one  of  fifteen  children  bom  to  Pliilip  Bence,  Sr..  and 
wife.  The  Bence  family  comes  of  good  old  German  stock  on  both  the  pa- 
ternal and  maternal  sides.  C^irandfather  Philip  Bence,  Sr..  was  a  nati\"e  of 
Pennsylvania,  from  which  state  he  descended  the  Ohio  rixer  in  a  flatboat  to 
Louisville.  Kentuck}-.  in  a  veiy  early  da\'.  The  Doctor's  father  first  married 
L}-dia  Doup.  of  Mar\land.  In-  w  hich  union  four  children  were  born,  nameh- : 
Fountain  R.,  Onesimus  O..  Tabitha  E.  and  Jeptha  D.  These  children  have 
long  since  passed  to  the  great  be\"ond.  each  ha\'ing  li\'ed  to  be  over  se\'entv 
years  of  age,  the  psalmist's  allotted  span  of  }-ears  to  mankind.  Philip  Pence 
chose  as  his  second  wife  Anna  ^'enawine.  by  which  union  si.x  children  were 
Ijorn,  named  as  folliiws  :  luhn  A.,  who  li\es  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Washing- 
ton township:  Lydia.  now  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  John  Lydick,  of  Putnam 
count}- :  Lcnn'sa  J.  is  the  wife  of  Philip  Plutcheson.  residing  in  Washington 
township;  Genexa  .\..  wIki  nnrried  G.  C.  Smith,  is  deceased;  ]\[atikla  M.  mar- 
ried Levi  Plepler  and  the\'  are  both  deceased:  Dr.  G.  W..  of  this  review,  was 
the  youngest  in  order  of  biith. 

When  se\en  veai's  of  age.  George  W.  Bence  came  to  Putnam  count  v. 
Indiana,  w  ith  his  parents.  He  received  a  common  school  education  and  w  orked 
nn  the  hduie  farm  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age.  In  1869  he  grati- 
fied a  desire  of  long  standing  by  beginning  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr. 
Jiihn  Wilcox  in  Greencastle.  with  whoiu  he  remained  one  year,  then  entered 
the  medical  department  of  the  L'niversity  of  \'irginia,  where  he  made  rapid 

(17) 


25S  weik's  history  of 

strides  in  materia  medica  and  from  which  institntion  he  was  graduated  with 
honor  in  June.  1S71.  being  one  of  thirteen  who  were  graduated  from  a  class 
of  sixt}'-fi\'e. 

Thus  being  well  equipped  to  enter  his  chosen  profession,  the  Doctor 
opened  an  office  on  August  i,  1871,  at  Carbon.  Clay  county,  Indiana,  where 
he  soon  had  a  good  foothold  and  where  he  practiced  with  increasing  success 
for  a  period  of  eight  years.  On  July  9,  1879.  he  came  to  Greencastle  and 
he  has  maintained  his  office  here  ever  since.  While  living  at  Carbon  he  took 
a  post-graduate  course  on  diseases  of  the  eye,  in  New  York,  with  the  noted 
Doctors  Noyes  and  Mittendorf.  He  also  studied  for  three  months  with  Dr. 
John  Green  of  St.  Louis.  He  has  successfully  engaged  in  continuous  practice 
here  since  the  date  mentioned  above. 

Doctor  Bence  has  long  been  interested  in  politics,  finding  time  in  the  midst 
of  his  manifold  duties  to  take  an  active  part  in  party  affairs,  and  while  living 
in  Clay  count v  in  1874.  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  state  Legisla- 
ture, and  was  a  member  of  the  regular  and  special  sessions  of  1875,  in  which 
he  made  his  influence  felt  on  the  floor  and  in  committee  work,  and  he  repre- 
sented his  locality  in  a  very  able  and  conscientious  manner,  reflecting  credit 
upon  himself  and  receiving  the  hearty  commendation  of  his  constituents. 
Doctor  Bence  was  secretary  of  the  Putnam  county  board  of  health  for  a  period 
of  twentv-two  vears,  beginning  in  1882,  when  the  law  was  first  passed,  and 
serving  until  1904.  During  that  long  period  the  affairs  pertaining  to  this 
branch  of  the  countv's  business  were  looked  after  with  a  fidelity  that  resulted 
in  incalculable  good  and  in  winning  for  the  Doctor  the  hearty  praise  of  all 
classes. 

The  domestic  chapter  in  the  life  of  Doctor  Bence  dates  from  1873,  '^vhen 
he  espoused  Kizzie  C.  Pratt,  a  native  of  Clay  county,  who  lived  only  three 
weeks  after  their  wedding.  In  1876  he  married  Sibbie  Loftus.  of  Carbon, 
Indiana,  who  was  a  native  of  this  county,  and  her  death  occurred  in  October, 
1881.  Two  children  resulted  from  this  union,  one  dying  before  the  mother 
passed  awav  and  the  other  four  years  later.  On  January  16,  1884,  Doctor 
Bence  married  Alinnie  Brandon,  of  Greencastle,  who  was  born  on  a  boat  on 
the  Hudson  river.  New  York.  Three  children  were  born  to  this  union, 
namely;  Era,  born  in  1890:  Edna,  bom  in  1891 ;  the  other  child  died  in  in- 
fancy. Both  the  living  children  are  at  this  writing  attending  DePauw  Uni- 
versitv,  where  they  are  making  excellent  records. 

The  Doctor  is  a  Mason  in  his  fraternal  relations,  belonging  to  Temple 
Lodo-e,  No.  47.  He  has  also  taken  the  degrees  of  the  Scottish  rite  up  to  and 
including  the  thirty-second.     He  has  been  very  successful  from  a  financial 


PL'TXA.M    COUNTY,    INDIANA.      '  259 

Standpoint,  and  he  is  at  this  writing  president  of  the  Owl  Drug  Company  and 
the  Red  Cross  Drug  Company,  both  of  Greencastle.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
breeders  of  Angora  goats  in  Indiana  and  has  shipped  them  all  over  the  coun- 
try, having  recently  shipped  a  consignment  to  Argentine  Republic.  He  now 
maintains  a  goat  farm  and  his  fine  goats  are  admired  by  all  who  see  them. 
He  owns  some  valuable  farms  and  much  city  propertv.  He  endowed  the 
German  library  of  DePauw  University  with  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars. 
He  is  president  of  the  Plezee  Company,  manufacturers  of  the  celebrated  soft 
drink  known  as  "Plezee"  all  over  the  country.  He  is  president  of  the  Green- 
castle Commercial  Club,  the  success  of  which  has  been  very  largely  due  to  his 
wise  counsel  and  active  interest  in  promoting  the  city's  various  affairs.  He  is 
secretary  of  the  Live  Oak  Plantation  Company,  which  owns  over  twelve  thou- 
sand acres  of  lands  in  Louisiana.  The  company  raises  hogs,  cattle,  rice, 
fruits,  etc..  and  it  has  proven  to  be  a  very  successful  venture. 

Doctor  Bence's  methods  are  in  keeping  with  the  progressive  spirit  of  the 
twentieth  centur}-  and  the  splendid  condition  of  the  propertv  over  which  he 
has  charge  is  a  monument  to  his  well  directed  efforts.  He  is  a  man  of  broad 
humanitarian  principles,  earnest  purpose  and  upright  life,  and  bv  all  is  es- 
teemed for  his  courteous  manner,  genial  disposition  and  genuine  worth. 


OUIXTOX  BROADSTREET. 

Among  the  best  known  and  most  highly  respected  families  of  Putnam 
county  is  found  the  one  bearing  the  name  that  forms  the  caption  of  this 
article,  members  of  which  have  figured  conspicuously  in  the  business  and 
social  life  of  the  county  since  the  pioneer  days,  assisting  in  the  general 
development  of  the  same  whenever  possible.  Ouinton  Broadstreet  is  regarded 
by  all  who  know  him  as  a  man  of  strong  mentality,  invincible  courage  and 
determined  individuality,  and  he  has  so  entered  into  the  historv  of  his 
section  of  the  great  Hoosier  state  as  to  make  his  presence  felt  as  a  factor 
in  its  industrial  affairs,  and  in  a  large  sense  he  may  be  classed  as  a  director 
of  thought  in  matters  of  business  coming  within  his  special  province.  Like 
many  of  the  solid  and  substantial  men  of  Greencastle.  he  has  long  endeavored 
to  advance  the  interests  of  the  community  at  large  while  laboring  for  his  own 
advancement  and  he  has  therefore  won  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all 
classes.  He  is  a  native  of  Hendricks  county,  Indiana,  having  been  born  at 
Stilesville.   August    14,    1837,   the  son  of  James   and   Alelvira   A.    (Gentry) 


26o  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

Broadstreet.  the  former  a  native  of  Jackson  county.  Indiana,  and  the  latter 
of  BuHitt  county.  Kentucky.  The  father  was  a  plain,  old-fashioned  farmer, 
but  a  man  of  influence  in  his  community,  being  scrupulously  honest  and  kind 
to  his  neighbors  and  strangers  as  well.  He  spent  practically  all  his  life  in 
Mill  Creek  township.  Putnam  county,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1884,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-si.x  years.  His  paternal  ancestors  were  Irish  and  they  came 
to  America  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war.  his  father  being  Thomas  Broad- 
street,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  Washington  county.  Indiana,  settling  there  very 
early  in  the  nineteenth  century.  He  removed  to  Marion  township,  this 
countv.  in  i8_'5,  where  he  entered  eighty  acres  which  he  worked  in  connection 
with  church  work,  he  having  been  an  earnest  Missionary  Baptist  minister  and 
"he  became  well  known  in  this  locality  in  that  connection  and  his  services 
were  greativ  appreciated  by  the  first  settlers  here.  Melvira  A.  Gentry,  the 
maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  Ouinton  Broadstreet,  was  a  woman  of  many 
admirable  traits  of  character.  She  spent  her  early  youth  in  Kentucky,  coming 
to  Hendricks  county,  Indiana,  when  fifteen  years  old,  accompanying  her  par- 
ents, who  located  there.  Her  death  occurred  in  1894.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tames  Broadstreet  ten  children  were  born,  namely :  Ouinton,  of  this  review ; 
Eliza  J.,  now  deceased,  married  Calvin  Hurst;  Isaac  B.  died  when  seventeen 
years  of  age;  Rachael,  who  married  David  Haines,  is  deceased;  Sarah  Ann, 
who  married  Henderson  Layne,  is  deceased;  Xancy  is  the  wife  of  John  W. 
Stringer,  residing  in  Mill  Creek  township.  Putnam  county;  Thomas  H.  lives 
at  Coatsville,  Hendricks  county ;  Mary  Ellen  is  deceased ;  Jerusha  died  when 
eighteen  vears  of  age ;  John  C.  resides  in  Mill  Creek  township. 

Ouinton  Broadstreet  removed  with  his  parents  from  Stilesville.  Indiana, 
to  a  farm  when  he  was  but  a  child,  and  when  of  proper  age  he  began  working 
on  the  farm  and  continued  agricultural  pursuits  until  1888.  when  he  mo\ed  to 
Greencastle  and  engaged  in  the  real  estate,  loan  and  insurance  business  with 
W.  B.  Vestal.  He  has  succeeded  in  building  up  a  large  and  lucrative  business 
in  this  line  owing  to  his  close  application  to  his  individual  affairs,  his  minute 
knowledge  i)f  real  estate  values  in  this  locality  and  his  fair  and  conscientious 
treatment  of  all  with  whom  he  has  dealings.  He  was  very  successful  as  a 
farmer  and  stockman,  and  he  still  retains  his  farming  interests,  which  are 
e.\tensi\e  and  waluable. 

Mr.  Broadstreet  was  first  married  on  ]^Iarch  22.  1864,  to  Sarah  Ellen 
Euis.  who  was  born  in  this  county,  her  people  being  highly  respected  here 
in  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century.  This  marriage  resulted  in  the 
birth  of  the  following  children :  Melvira  Ann  is  the  wife  of  C.  Elmer  Wal- 
lace, of  Mill  Creek  township:  Ida  E.  died  when  eighteen  years  of  age:  Francis 


PL'TNAM    COrXTY,    INDIANA.  261 

Marion  died  at  tlie  age  of  t\\ent\':  Leander  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years; 
Charles  P.  was  a  leading  grocer  of  Greencastle  and  one  of  the  most  popular 
young  business  men  of  the  city,  but  is  now  farming;  James  Virgil  died  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  years;  Delia  May  is  the  wife  of  William  B.  Peck,  of  Green- 
castle; Ernest  died  in  childhooc.l.  The  mother  of  these  children  was  called 
to  her  rest  in  1887  and  Mr.  Broadstreet  was  marriefl  in  1900  to  Margaret  J. 
Walters,  of  Greencastle.  where  she  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  This  union 
is  without  issue. 

Mr.  Broadstreet  was  trustee  (^f  Mill  Creek  township  for  several  vears 
and  was  also  assessor  of  that  township,  filling  each  office  with  credit  to  him- 
self and  satisfaction  to  all  concerned.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  is 
not  active  in  the  party.  Owing  to  his  well-known  business  ability  he  acts 
as  administrator  of  numerous  estates,  and  d(ies  much  similar  work  in  con- 
nection with  his  own  office  work.  Personally  he  is  a  man  of  imposing  pres- 
ence, portly,  energetic,  jolly,  courteous  and  always  generous  and  hospitable, 
hence  his  easy  manner  of  making  and  retaining  friends.  He  has  been  very 
successful  in  life  in  a  financial  way.  and  now  that  the  shadows  of  the  evening 
of  life  have  begun  to  lengthen  he  can  look  backward  over  a  career  that  is  satis- 
factorv  in  the  main,  one  o\er  which  no  shadow  of  evil  rests,  conscii^us  of  the 
fact  that  he  has  done  the  best  he  could  with  his  opportunities  and  enxironment 
and  that  he  has  benefited  man\-  who  ha\-e  been  associated  with  him  in  all  the 
relatiiins  n\  life. 


ALEXANDER  H.  LOCKRIDGE. 

A  worthy  representati\  e  of  one  of  the  leading  families  of  Putnam 
county  is  .Me.xander  H.  Lockridge.  well  kn<n\n  farmer  and  stock  dealer. 
Throughout  tlie  country  he  eiijo}'s  distinctive  prestige  among  the  enterprising 
business  men.  having  earned  the  right  to  be  called  one  of  the  progressive 
men  of  this  locality,  having  fought  Ins  way  onward  and  upward  to  a  promi- 
nent position  in  industrial  circles  and  in  e\ery  relation  of  life  his  \'oice  and 
influence  are  on  the  side  of  right  as  he  sees  and  understands  the  right.  He 
is  a  native  of  this  county  and  has  spent  his  life  here,  his  birth  having  occurred 
June  10.  1848.  the  son  of  Andrew  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Farrow)  Lockridge. 
His  ancestors  i:)n  both  sides  of  the  house  were  pioneers  of  Putnam  countv, 
and  owing  to  the  fact  that  much  space  is  devoted  to  them  elsewdiere  in  this 
work,  their  life  records  will  not  be  repeated  here;  suffice  it  to  say  in  passing 
that  no  more  worth v  rir  influential  people  ever  honored  the  Hoosier  state  with 
their  j^resence. 


262  weik's  history  of 

Alexander  H.  Lockridge  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  later  at- 
tended DePauw  University,  which  in  those  early  days  was  known  as  Asbury 
University,  receiving  an  excellent  education.  He  began  working  on  the  home 
place  early  in  his  youth  and  he  has  devoted  his  life  to  farming  and  stock 
raising  with  splendid  success  attending  his  efforts.  He  is  a  typical  twentieth- 
century  agriculturist,  broad  minded,  alert,  promoting  new  lines  and  phases 
of  the  same  in  a  manner  that  stamps  him  as  fully  abreast  of  the  times,  and  only 
a  cursory  glance  at  his  model  and  very  desirable  farm  is  sufficient  to  indicate 
that  a  gentleman  of  thrift  and  good  taste  has  its  management  in  hand,  and, 
being  one  of  the  best  and  most  extensive  stock  feeders  in  the  county,  he  has 
become  widely  known  to  stock  men  locally  and  at  distant  markets  where 
high-grade  stock,  such  as  he  always  offers  for  sale,  are  duly  appreciated  and 
sought  after. 

Mr.  Lockridge  is  the  owner  of  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land 
in  Putnam  county,  which  is  kept  well  improved  and  tilled,  bounteous  crops 
being  harvested  therefrom  annually  under  his  able  supervision ;  however, 
much  of  the  minor  detail  work  of  his  fields  are  left  to  others  and  a  great  deal 
of  Mr.  Lockridge's  attention  is  directed  to  his  large  herds  of  cattle,  with  which 
he  has  been  very  successful.  At  one  time  he  sold  eighty-six  head  of  cattle  on 
the  Chicago  market  which  brought  eight  dollars  and  forty-five  cents  per 
hundred  pounds,  which  is  on  record  as  one  of  the  highest  prices  ever  paid 
for  any  one  herd  of  cattle. 

The  Lockridge  residence  is  beautifully  located,  commodious,  attractive 
and  elegantly  furnished,  having  all  modern  conveniences  and  surrounded 
by  substantial  barns  and  outbuildings. 

On  January  23.  1S79.  Mr.  Lockridge  was  united  in  marriage  with  Laura 
Pickrell.  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  daughter  of  William  and  Amanda  (Robin- 
son) Pickrell.  an  old  and  highly  respected  family.  Mrs.  Lockridge  was  well 
educated  and  is  known  to  a  large  circle  of  friends  as  a  woman  of  excellent 
attributes.  This  union  has  resulted  in  the  birth  of  two  children.  Andrew  M., 
born  October  16,  1879,  who  is  living  in  California,  and  William  P..  born  April 
I  J,  1 88 1,  who  is  living  at  home  and  is  ably  assisting  his  father  in  the  man- 
agement of  his  large  interests.  He  is  one  of  the  most  popular  young  men  of 
the  community  and  is  evincing  splendid  business  qualifications.  He  is  a 
member  of  Lodge  No.  1077.  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Mr.  Lockridge  showed  his  patriotism  during  the  great  war  l^etueen 
the  states,  although  a  mere  lad,  by  enlisting  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirtv- 
third  Regiment.  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  1864.  for  the  one-hundred- 
dav  service,  during  which  time  he  had  some  interesting  experiences.     After 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  263 

the  war  he  returned  liome  ami  resumed  farming'.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  RepubHc.  Post  ii.  at  Greencastle.  PoHtically  he  is  a 
RepubHcan,  but  has  never  aspired  to  party  honors,  preferring  to  devote  his 
exclusive  attention  to  his  private  business  affairs.  He  is  a  quiet,  unassuming 
man  whom  evePv'body  likes  because  of  his  straightforward,  honest  dealings 
w  ith  liis  fellow  men  and  his  genial  disposition. 


THOMAS  GILLESPIE. 

Xo  name  is  more  familiar  in  Putnam  county  than  that  of  Gillespie;  The 
first  settlers  of  this  name  came  in  as  early  or  before  the  organization  of  the 
countv  and  their  descendants  have  ramified  until,  by  increase  and  intermar- 
riage, thev  are  connected  with  a  large  part  of  the  population.  Members  of 
the  family  have  been  engaged  in  many  kinds  of  business,  have  developed  good 
business  men  and  achieved  unusual  success  in  their  various  callings.  It  would 
take  several  volumes  to  give  a  history  of  the  Gillespies,  who  have  enriched 
the  citizens  of  Putnam  county  by  their  energy,  industry  and  law-abiding  char- 
acter. They  have  done  much  individually  and  collectively  for  the  develop- 
ment of  Putnam  county  and  take  credit  for  a  good  deal  of  the  progress  which 
has  marked  the  last  half  century.  James  Gillespie,  who  was  born  in  Virginia 
in  1810,  came  west  when  still  young  and  settled  in  Clinton  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  died.  He  worked  for  a  while  at  a  tanner.  Thomas  Gillespie 
came  to  Putnam  county  in  18:28.  when  this  region  was  still  in  almost  primitive 
condition,  with  onlv  a  sparse  population.  log  cabins,  scattered  here  and  there, 
wide  apart  and  the  woods  still  full  of  game.  He  followed  his  occupation  as 
a  tanner  until  1S50.  wdien  he  changed  to  farming.  He  hail  but  a  limited 
education,  as  in  his  day  schools  were  poor  and  scarce,  but  he  made  up  for  this 
deficiencv  in  after  life  by  much  reading  an<I  study.  Though  a  Democrat  in  a 
mild  wav,  he  never  sought  office,  being  a  quiet  unobtrusive  man.  who  attended 
industriouslv  to  his  own  business  and  did  not  interfere  with  that  of  others. 
He  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  strongest  man  physically  in  the  county 
and  many  stories  are  told  of  his  feats  in  lifting  and  throwing.  He  died 
August  21.  1890.  and  was  laid  away  in  Forest  Hill  cemeten,-.  James  G. 
married  Katherine  Peck,  and  Thomas  Gillespie  was  a  son  of  this  union.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Shore  Farrow,  who  was  born  December  28.  1S21.  her 
parents  being  Richarrl  and  !\lary  fXelson)  Farrow,  one  of  the  old  pioneer 
families   of   the   county.      The   children    are    as    follrnvs :      Mary   Jcjsephine. 


264  weik's  history  of 

born  June  30,  1840.  and  married  Isaac  H.  Meekins  and  lives  in  Iowa; 
Katherine  Howard,  born  January  i,  1842,  now  ]^Irs.  Arthur  \Vood, 
is  a  resident  of  Champaign,  Illinois;  James  M.,  born  June  15,  1843, 
lives  in  \  igo  county:  Martha,  born  March  2^,  1845,  "'^''^'  ^frs. 
J.  W.  Fletcher,  lives  in  Shenandoah,  Iowa;  Elizabeth  F..  born  February  21, 
1847.  ''"'^^'  ^Irs-  \\  illiani  Hathawav.  resides  in  Clinton  township,  Putnam 
county;  Sarah  Evelyn,  born  September  29,  1849,  died  September  29,  185S; 
William  F.,  born  October  9,  1850,  is  a  resident  of  Inilianapolis ;  Margaret, 
born  December  30.  1851,  is  a  resident  of  Greencastle ;  Richard  A.,  born  Sep- 
tember 25,  1853,  lives  in  Greencastle  and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation;  Thomas 
P.,  born  March  26,  1855,  is  a  resident  oi  Log-anspc irt :  Susan  F.,  Ijorn  Jan- 
uary 3,  1857,  died  November  2j.  1857;  Emma  Clay,  born  January  10,  185S, 
is  now  Mrs.  P.  \\'.  McXary ;  Anna  D.,  Ixirn  January  14.  i860,  is  now  Mrs. 
D.  C.  Stairwalt.  and  resides  in  Greencastle;  Daniel  A.,  born  March  8.  1862. 
is  a  resident  of  Logansport:  Joseph  F.  is  a  physician  of  Greencastle;  Be\'erly 
is  a  dentist  in  the  same  city.  The  mother  of  this  family  died  .\ugust  9,  1896, 
at  the  age  of  seventv-four  vears. 


JAMES  LAF.VYETTE  RAXDEL. 

The  family  of  this  name  originated  in  Xew  York,  from  which  state  rep- 
resentatives removed  to  South  Carolina,  where  Thomas  Randel  was  born 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  coming  in  early  life  to  In- 
diana and  finding  a  last  resting  place  near  Bainbridge.  Putnam  county.  His 
son,  William  Randel.  was  born  in  Union  cijunty.  South  Carolina,  August  26, 
1793,  lived  in  Franklin  county,  Georgia,  from  [801  to  1807.  anrl  went  through 
the  Cherokee  Indian  nation  to  Barren  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood,  married,  and  in  1824  came  to  Putnam  county,  settling  on 
a  farm  in  Monroe  township,  where  several  generations  of  the  family  were 
born  and  developed.  He  married,  first.  Xancy  McReynolds,  by  whom  he  had 
a  numl)er  of  children,  including  Gibson  Randel.  Mrs.  Malinda  Sharp.  Mrs. 
^[aria  ]\[cCov,  Mrs.  Man-  Daniels.  John  \\'.,  and  Mrs.  Emma  Summers,  all  of 
whom  are  dead.  Harrison  M.  Randel  was  the  youngest  of  the  children  and 
is  the  onl\-  one  li\ing.  The  mother  died  about  1845  and  a  second  marriage 
was  contracted  with  Xanc}'  (Siddons)  Stevens,  who  died  about  1881,  with- 
out issue.  The  father  died  in  18S5,  when  ninety-two  }-ears  old,  longevity 
being  a  characteristic  of  this  hard\-  race.      Harrison  M.  Randel  was  born  in 


PTTXAM     COLXTV,    INDIANA.  265 

Putnam  county.  Indiana.  December  j;.  1838.  and  after  reaching  manhootl 
engaged  in  faniung,  which  has  been  his  hte  work.  In  1862  he  was  elected 
county  sur\eyoi-  and  served  eight  years.  In  1S70  he  was  elected  countv 
treasurer  and  re-elected  in  1873  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  In  1874  he  was 
elected  county  auditor,  in  which  otfice  he  served  four  rears,  after  which  he 
retired  to  his  farm  and  subsequently  remnveii  to  Greencastle.  where  he  has  re- 
sitled  for  some  ten  or  eleven  years.  He  first  married  Xancy  A.  Stevens,  a  na- 
tive of  PYitnam  county  from  near  Rainbridge.  and  bv  this  union  there  were 
seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  living:  \\'illiam  M..  of  Greencastle:  James 
L..  the  subject :  Thomas  F..  of  Hendricks  county.  Indiana  :  Daniel  \'..  of  Alibe- 
vdle.  Louisiana:  and  Harry  Clay,  a  druggist  at  Terre  Haute.  The  mother 
died  in  1892,  when  about  fifty-one  years  old.  she  and  F.  :M..  the  oldest  child, 
and  .Mrs.  Carrie  Hirt,  the  only  daughter,  dying  of  typhoid  fever  within  a 
month  of  each  other.  The  father's  second  wife  was  Ella  King,  who  died  one 
year  later  without  issue.  A  third  marriage  occurred  with  Amanda,  daughter 
of  Elsephus  Thomas,  one  of  the  early  and  wealthy  pioneers  of  the  count}-. 

James  L.  Randel.  seccjud  of  his  father's  sur\iving  children,  was  born 
near  Bainbridge,  Putnam  county,  Indiana.  December  to.  i86j.  He  remained 
on  the  farm  until  his  father's  election  as  county  treasurer  and  went  with  the 
latter  to  Greencastle  when  nine  years  old.  He  attended  school  at  the  county 
seat  and  assisted  his  father  in  the  office.  After  his  father's  election  as  auditor, 
he  was  appointed  deputy  and  retained  this  place  for  four  vears.  attending 
school  a  part  of  the  time.  He  afterwards  was  appointed  deputv  treasurer 
under  W.  R.  Gnigan  and  later  deputy  auditor  under  J.  U.  Edwards.  He  also 
ser\ed  as  deput\-  treasurer  under  Ephraim  Tucker  and  in  1886  was  elected 
county  audit(-ir,  in  which  position  he  served  from  1887  to  November  i,  189 1. 
January  i.  189J.  he  accepted  employment  with  the  First  Xational  Bank  as 
collection  clerk:  in  .\pril,  1893,  'i^  ^^'^■'^  appointed  assistant  cashier  of  the  Cen- 
tral Xational  Bank  and  served  until  1904.  when  he  was  elected  cashier.  In 
May.  1900,  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Central  Trust  Companv,  of 
which  he  was  elected  secretar\-  and  has  since  retained  that  positi(in.  In  1893 
he  was  elected  a  meml)er  of  the  city  council  from  the  first  ward  and  served 
four  years.  He  ranks  high  in  financial  circles,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  honors 
bestowed  u[)on  him  by  various  organizations.  He  is  president  of  the  Fifth 
District  Bankers'  Association,  was  a  member  of  the  executive  council  of  the 
Indiana  Bankers'  As.sociation  for  1909-10.  president  of  the  trust  company 
section  of  the  Indiana  Bankers'  Association,  vice-president  for  Indiana  of  the 
trust  com]iany  section  of  the  American  Bankers'  Association,  and  member  of 


2(56  weik's  history  of 

the  building  committee  of  Putnam  county's  new  court  house,  being  appointed 
to  act  with  the  board  of  county  commissioners  by  the  judge  of  the  circuit 
court. 

'Sir.  Randel's  fraternal  connections  are  numerous  and  indicative  of  his 
standing  and  popularity.  He  is  trustee  of  Temple  Lodge,  Xo.  47,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  past  high  priest  and  trustee  of  Greencastle  Chapter.  Xo. 
22,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  past  eminent  commander  of  Greencastle  Command- 
ery.  X'o.  11.  Knights  Templar,  and  grand  warder  of  the  grand  commandery 
Knights  Templar  of  Indiana.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Indiana  consistory, 
Scottish  rite,  and  Murat  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  X'obles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  treasurer  of 
Greencastle  Lodge,  Xo.  1077,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He 
has  always  been  active  and  influential  as  a  Democrat  and  holds  the  position  of 
chairman  of  the  city  committee  of  his  party. 

On  October  9.  1883,  Mr.  Randel  married  Martha  E..  daughter  of  John 
\V.  A.  Llall,  who  lives  in  the  vicinity  of  Roachdale,  where  she  was  born  April 
II,  1866.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Randel  have  had  four  children:  Frank  H.,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Walter  C.,  who  died  when  three  years  old  ;  Clyde  R.,  who  was  born 
Julv  14,  1888,  is  a  senior  at  DePauw  University;  Xaomi,  who  was  born  No- 
vember 30,  1893,  is  a  student  at  DePauw  University.  Mr.  Randel  is  a  deacon 
and  trustee  of  the  Christian  church  and  a  citizen  of  the  highest  standing  and 
regarded  as  an  unusually  able  business  man  by  the  people  of  Putnam  county, 
who  have  so  often  exhibited  their  regard  and  respect  for  him. 


WILLIAAI   B.  VESTAL. 

The  Vestals  have  been  conspicuous  in  the  affairs  of  Putnam  county 
since  the  days  of  the  first  settler,  the  several  members  playing  well  their 
parts  in  all  the  relations  of  life  and  establishing  reputations  for  both  industry 
and  integritv  as  well  as  public  spirit  and  hospitalit}'.  and  no  member  of 
this  familv  is  better  known  or  has  been  of  greater  service  to  his  fellow 
men  than  William  B.  Vestal,  who  was  born  in  Warren  township,  Putnam 
countv,  Februarv  i,   1843,  and  whose  home  is  now  in  Greencastle. 

The  Vestal  familv  comes  of  Scotch-Irish  stock  on  the  paternal  side, 
William  Vestal  being  the  first  of  the  name  to  come  to  the  United  States. 
having  emigrated  here  in  1683  with  the  famous  William  Penn  cr.ldnists. 
Meeting  a  Miss  INlercer,  a  \\'elsh  lady,  on  the  vessel  which  brnuglit  them  to 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  267 

America,  they  were  married  and  upon  arriving  on  our  shores  located  in 
Lancaster  countv,  Pennsylvania.  One  of  their  children.  Thomas,  moved  to 
Xortli  Carolina,  where  he  married  a  Miss  Davis.  Their  son,  William,  mar- 
ried into  the  Wheeler  family,  who  lived  near  Rock  River,  that  state,  in  which 
vicinity  Mr.  Vestal  had  settled.  Thomas,  one  of  their  children,  married  a 
Miss  Brower  and  these  were  the  great-grandparents  of  William  B.  X'estal. 
of  this  review.  Thomas  Vestal,  brother  of  William,  of  North  Carolina,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Samuel  \'estal.  father  of  William  B.,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who 
came  to  Indiana  in  1S22.  settling  in  Warren  township,  Putnam  county.  Indi- 
ana. His  father.  \\'illiam  \"estal.  also  came  here  at  that  time.  They  were  both 
farmers  and  hardy  pioneers.  The  latter,  grandfather  of  the  subject,  was 
born  in  Rock  River,  North  Carolina,  in  1790,  and  he  died  in  1863  at  the  age 
of  seventy-three  years,  spending  his  last  days  in  Iowa,  where  he  had  moved 
in  184S.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Sarah  Moore,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  lastly  to  her  sister,  Esther.  Samuel,  father  of  William  B.,  of  this  review, 
was  born  of  the  first  union,  another  child  born  to  them  dying  in  infancy. 
Ten  children  were  born  of  the  second  union. 

Samuel  \'estal  was  born  in  18 17  and  he  died  in  Warren  township.  Put- 
nam county.  Indiana.  January  20.  1891,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 
He  married  Tillitha  Erinton,  who  was  born  near  Lebanon,  Kentucky,  1819, 
and  who  died  on  Februar\'  15.  1904.  Seven  children  were  born  to  this  union, 
namely:  ]\Iary  Jane,  wife  of  John  Branhan,  of  Limedale,  Putnam  county; 
William  B-.,  of  this  review;  Margaret  A.  died  in  1880;  James  A\'.  lives  one 
mile  north  of  Cloverdale ;  Ellen  died  in  1866.  at  the  age  of  twelve  years; 
Emilv  F.  is  the  wife  of  ^Manford  Chamberlin,  living  near  Goverdale,  this 
county;  Elizabeth  P.  is  the  wife  of  Havila  Jones,  living  near  Cloverdale. 

William  B.  Vestal  remained  on  the  old  home  farm  until  1870,  where 
he  alternated  farming  with  schooling  in  the  district  sch(Mls.  He  studied  hard 
and  recei\'ed  a  good  education,  and  taught  school  in  a  very  acceptable  manner 
for  a  period  of  fifteen  years  in  Putnam  county,  in  the  country  schools,  prin- 
cipally at  Cloverdale  and  Manhattan.  From  1875  to  1880  he  engaged  in  the 
li\-ery  business  at  Cloverdale.  after  \\hich  he  farmed  for  a  few  years  near 
that  town.  From  1887  to  1888  he  was  mail  clerk  on  the  Vandalia  railroad. 
In  1888  he  was  elected  sheriiif  of  Putnam  county  on  the  Democratic  ticket 
and  so  faith  fullv  and  well  did  he  perform  the  duties  of  this  important  office 
that  he  was  re-elected  in  1890.  making  one  of  the  best  officials  the  county  has 
e\-er  had,  according  to  manv  of  his  constituents,  .\fter  leaving  this  office, 
y\r.  Vestal  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  abstracts  and  loans,   forming 


2bO  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

the  firm  of  X'estal  &  Broatlstreet  in  1894.  which  has  C(nitinue<l  until  the  present 
time,  a  very  satisfactory  Ixisiness  lia\'ing  l)een  hiiilt  up.  From  1S72  to 
1878  lie  was  trustee  of  CIo\erclale  township. 

Mr.  \'estal  was  one  of  the  loyal  supporters  of  the  Union  cruise  during 
the  (lark  days  of  the  sixties,  having  enlisted  in  Company  T.  Fifty-fifth  Regi- 
ment Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  1862.  and  in  1864  he  re-enlisted  in 
Company  E.  Fifty-first  Indiana  Regiment.  He  saw  much  active  service  in 
general  warfare  in  Kentucky,  and  he  f<night  at  Columbia  and  Xa.shville  and 
at  the  many  and  almcist  continuous  skirmishes  between  those  battle  grounds. 
At  the  close  of  hostilities  he  received  an  honorable  discharge  and  returned 
home. 

In  September.  1869.  Mr.  Vestal  married  Isis  M.  East,  daughter  of  Baily 
East,  of  Heltonville.  Lawrence  county.  Indiana,  where  JVIrs.  Vestal  was 
bom.  reared  and  educated.  This  union  resulted  in  the  birth  of  five  children, 
namely:  Clarence  A.,  now  engaged  in  the  livery  business  in  Greencastle ; 
Capt.  Samuel  Curtis,  who  is  now  on  the  general  military  staff  at  ^Manila. 
Philippine  Islands,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Annapolis  Military  Academy;  Xellie 
M.  was  born  in  1876  and  died  in  1880:  Edith  is  the  wife  o£  Tilden  McNeff, 
Ii\-ing  near  Putnamville.  this  count}':  the  youngest  child  died  in  infancv  un- 
named. 

Mr.  Vestal  is  a  ^klason,  belonging  to  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  com- 
mandery,  and  he  also  holds  membership  in  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Armv 
of  the  Republic.  Personally  he  is  a  good  mixer,  genial,  public-spirited  and 
honest,  as  were  his  ancestors  before  him.  hence  he  enjoys  the  confidence  and 
friendship  of  all  who  know  him. 


SENATOR  FRANCIS  CALVIX  TILDEX. 

The  life  of  the  scholarly  or  professional  man  seldom  exhibits  anv  of  those 
striking  incidents  that  seize  upon  public  feeling  and  attract  attention  to  him- 
self. Hi.s  character  is  generally  made  up  of  the  aggregate  qualities  and 
qualifications  he  may  possess,  as  these  may  be  elicited  b\-  the  exercise  of  the 
duties  of  his  vocation  or  the  particular  profession  to  which  he  belongs.  But 
when  such  a  man  has  so  impressed  his  individuality  upon  his  fellow  men  as 
to  gain  their  confidence,  and  through  that  confidence  rises  to  high  and  im- 
portant public  trust,  he  at  once  becomes  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  boflv 
politic  of  the  communit}'  and  the  state.  Such  a  man  is  Senator  Francis 
Calvin  Tilden.  who.  not  content  to  hide  his  talents  amid  life's  sequestered 


PL"TN'AM    COL'XTV.    IXDIANA.  269 

^\'a^•s,  lias  hv  the  force  of  will  and  a  laudable  ambition  forged  to  the  front 
in  a  responsible  and  exacting  calling  and  while  yet  young  in  years  earned  an 
honorable  reputation  in  one  of  the  most  important  branches  of  public  service. 
His  life  has  been  one  of  hard  study  and  research  from  his  youth  and.  since 
maturity,  of  laliorious  professional  duty  in  the  several  relations  in  which 
lie  has  been  placed:  and  the  hi.gh  public  position  to  which  he  has  attained  is 
evidence  that  the  qualities  he  possesses  afford  the  means  of  distinction  under  a 
system  of  government  in  which  places  of  honor  and  usefulness  are  open  to 
all  who  may  be  found  worthy  of  them. 

Senator  Tilden.  who  is  one  of  the  l)est  known  men  in  Putnam  county, 
or,  in  fact,  this  portion  of  the  state,  is  fortunate  in  a  long  line  of  distinguisheil 
ancestr\-.  man\-  of  whom  figured  pronn'nently  in  ever\-  walk  of  life.  Me 
was  born  in  Grundy  county.  Illinois.  September  20,  1872,  the  son  of  -\llen 
Sherwood  Tilden,  a  native  of  \'ermont  who  joined  the  tide  of  emigration 
setting  in  stronglv  from  the  Xew  England  states  to  the  West  in  1S52  and 
located  in  Crrundy  county,  Illinois,  where  he  successfully  (Operated  a  farm  ; 
he  was  also  a  skilled  machinist.  He  remaineil  in  Illinois  until  his  death. 
in  1887.  which  occurred  in  a  runaway  accident.  He  was  a  highly  respected 
and  influential  man  in  his  ciMnmunity.  although  he  led  his  life  along  quiet 
paths  and  did  not  seek  official  preferment;  however,  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Lincoln  on  the  Illinois  bounty  board  during  the  Civil  war  period, 
and  he  rendered  very  efficient  service  as  treasurer  of  the  same,  w  hich  was  a 
verv  responsible  position,  it  having  come  to  him  unsought  soon  after  his 
enlistment  as  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army. 

The  Tilden  family  is  of  English  extraction  and  may  be  traced  back  to 
Sir  Richard  Tilden.  who  was  knighted  under  Queen  Elizabeth.  Under  King 
Tames  II  he  came  to  America  and  surveyed  the  colony  of  Massachusetts,  in 
which  state  he  located  and  reared  a  family,  some  members  of  which  went  to 
\'emiont.  and  some  to  Connecticut.  Samuel  J.  Tilden  being  of  the  latter 
branch.  The  branch  of  which  Senator  Tilden  is  a  descendant  lived  in  \'er- 
mont.  This  is  one  of  the  thirty-one  families  in  America  really  entitled  to  a 
coat  of  arms.  Crandfather  Isaac  Tilden  w-as  a  native  of  Vermont,  from 
which  state  he  came  to  Illinois,  bringing  his  son,  Allen  Sherwood,  father  of 
the  Senator.  He  was  a  typical  pioneer  of  sterling  qualities  and  remained  in 
Illinois  until  his  death. 

.Mien  Sherwood  Tilden  married  Elvira  Elizabeth  ^\■iIlis.  a  woman  of 
manv  beautiful  characteristics,  the  daughter  of  a  highly  honored  family  of 
Vermont,  where  she  was  born,  reared  and  educated.  To  this  union  three 
children  were  l>orn.  named  as  follows:  Eva  E.  Tilden  is  living  in  Alarvville. 


270  WEIKS    HISTORY    OF 

Tennessee,  where  also  resides  the  other  daughter,  Lucy  M.,  now  the  wife  of 
W.  A.  McTeer;  Francis  Calvin,  of  this  review. 

Francis  C.  Tilden  was  reared  on  the  parental  farm  in  Grundy  county, 
Illinois,  and  received  his  primary  education  in  the  district  schools.  He  as- 
sisted with  the  lighter  work  about  the  place  during  the  summer  months,  and 
amid  the  bracing  airs  and  wholesome  rural  surroundings  of  the  prairies  grew 
to  vigorous  manhood.  Coming  to  Greencastle,  Indiana,  he  entered  DePauw 
Academy,  then  took  the  university  course,  which  he  finished  in  a  most  credit- 
able manner  in  1897.  Desiring  still  higher  mental  discipline,  he  entered 
Harvard  University,  which  institution  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  in  1899,  after  he  had  spent  two  years  there.  He  was  very 
active  during  his  college  days,  finding  time  aside  from  his  regular  work  to 
de\'0te  his  attention  to  literature  and  athletics.  He  was  editor  of  the  college 
annual,  Mirage,  also  the  college  paper,  The  Palladium,  filling  these  positions 
in  a  very  creditable  manner,  as  he  did  also  that  of  secretary  of  the  athletic 
association,  during  which  time  the  loan  was  negotiated  by  which  they  se- 
cured the  McKeen  field.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa — 
the  scholarship  society — only  those  students  who  make  exceptionally  high 
grades  being  elected. 

In  1900  Senator  Tilden  was  honored  by  being  elected  professor  of  Eng- 
lish language  and  literature  at  Dakota  University,  located  at  Vermillion,  South 
Dakota,  and  during  the  same  year  he  was  elected  professor  of  English  lit- 
erature at  De?auw  University,  where  he  remained  until  1904,  giving  the  ut- 
most satisfaction,  as  he  had  done  at  his  former  post,  being  naturally  gifted 
along  these  lines  and  profoundly  versed  in  his  chosen  subjects,  besides  possess- 
ing the  rare  trait  of  being  both  an  entertainer  and  an  instructor  in  the  school 
room.  Desiring  to  more  fully  equip  himself  for  this  line  of  endeavor,  he 
spent  the  summer  of  1904  in  study  at  Oxford  and  London,  England,  then 
returned  to  America  for  the  purpose  of  taking  the  English  work  in  the  Winona 
schools,  then  being  organized.  He  continued  in  the  Winona  school  until 
May,  1907,  when  he  resigned  to  take  up  journalistic  work  in  Greencastle, 
having  then  become  associated  with  the  Star-Democrat  Publish- 
ing Company,  to  which  he  has  given  his  attention  and  talent  up  to  the  present 
time,  greatly  enhancing  the  prestige  of  this  influential  organ  and  rendering 
it  a  power  for  good  in  this  vicinity,  the  Senator  being  an  interesting  and 
polished  writer,  always  wielding  a  true  and  trenchant  pen  in  championing  the 
rights  of  his  constituents  and  whatever  would  tend  to  the  general  good  of 
Putnam  county. 

Senator  Tilden  has  long  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  political  arena. 


PUT.N'AM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  2'JX 

in  which  he  made  his  influence  felt  from  the  first,  and  his  public  spirit  and 
talents  attracted  the  attention  of  local  political  leaders  and  in  1908  the  Demo- 
crats nominated  him  for  state  senator  for  the  district  comprising  Putnam, 
^lorgan  and  Marion  counties  and  he  was  subsequently  elected.  In  this  im- 
portant trust  he  has  shown  himself  to  be  eminently  well  qualified  and  has  dis- 
charged his  duties  in  such  an  able  and  conscientious  manner  as  to  excite  the 
admiration  of  his  constituents,  irrespective  of  party  alignment.  His  in- 
fluence among  his  colleagues  was  potent  from  the  first,  they  at  once  recog- 
nizing his  earnestness  and  his  fidelity  to  the  right.  He  was  closely  connected 
with  the  local  option  legislation,  being  one  of  the  two  Democrats  who  pre- 
vented the  repealing  of  the  law.  His  term  expires  in  1912,  and  he  will  doubt- 
less accomplish  much  for  this  locality  ere  that  date. 

In  1907  the  Senator  began  lecture  work,  since  which  time  he  has  fre- 
quently appeared  at  Chautauquas  and  before  teachers'  institutes,  where  he 
is  always  accorded  hearty  welcome,  being  a  forceful  and  at  times  a  truly  elo- 
quent speaker,  and  always  has  a  helpful  and  uplitting  message.  In  January, 
19 10,  he  was  further  honored  by  being  appointed  special  lecturer  in  literature 
at  DePauw  University. 

Senator  Tilden's  ideal  domestic  life  began  September  13.  1900,  when 
he  married  Ethel  Nash  Arnold,  the  accomplished  and  cultured  daughter  of 
F,  A.  Arnold,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Greencastle,  in  which  city  Mrs.  Tilden 
■was  born,  reared  and  educated,  being  a  graduate  of  DePauw  University. 
This  union  has  been  graced  by  the  birth  of  three  children,  named  as  follows : 
Francis  Allen,  born  July  19,  1901 ;  Elizabeth,  born  April  10,  1905;  Richard 
Arnold,  born  December  30,  1906.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tilden  are  faithful  mem- 
bers of  the  College  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  They  are  popular 
in  all  circles  in  this  citv  and  highlv  esteemed  bv  all  classes. 


ARTHUR  L.  EVENS. 


The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  review  is  one  of  the  leading  con- 
tractors and  builders  of  the  southern  part  of  Putnam  county  and  he  is  also 
extensively  engaged  in  fanning,  owning  a  valuable  piece  of  property  near 
Putnamville,  and  the  history  of  this  township  would  be  incomplete  were 
there  failure  to  make  mention  of  him  and  the  enterprise  with  which  he  is 
identified.  Tireless  energy  and  honesty  of  purpose  are  the  chief  character- 
istics of  the  man. 


272  WEIKS    HISTORY    OF 

Arthur  I.  E\ens  was  born  in  CloN'erdale  township,  this  county,  .\ugust 
23.  1S62.  and  is  a  son  of  John  W.  and  Margaret  (  Calhihan)  E\ens.  He 
received  a  common  sciiool  e<hication  and  when  very  young,  fourteen  years  of 
age.  he  began  working  out  by  the  montii  in  .jrder  to  get  a  start,  and.  lieing 
an  energetic  lad.  he  soon  had  a  good  foothold.  He  married  Louisa  E.  Lewis, 
daughter  of  Israel  G.  and  Susan  J.  Lewis,  her  father  being  a  well-known 
minister  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Putnam  county,  and  regarded 
bv  everyone  as  a  good  and  useful  man.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evens  began  their 
married  life  on  the  farm  belonging  to  the  latter's  mother.  It  is  located  in 
section  15,  consisting  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  in  Warren  township. 
This  splendid  farm  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evens,  they  having  bought 
out  the  other  heirs,  except  that  of  Susan  Jane  Lewis.   Mrs.   Evens'   sister. 

Mr.  Evens  carries  on  general  farming  very  successfully,  but  he  finds  time 
to  do  a  great  deal  of  general  contracting  and  building.  He  is  also  interested 
in  stock  raising  and.  although  a  very  busy  man  the  year  round,  he  manifests 
an  interest  in  the  afifairs  of  his  county,  serving  very  creditably  as  trustee 
of  his  township  for  a  term  of  four  years,  from  1904  to  1908:  he  also  served 
iiis  township  as  assessor  from  1890  to  1896.     He  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evens  are  the  parents  of  one  child.  Roy  Lewis,  born  June 
^,  1890.  He  attended  the  common  schools,  after  which  he  took  a -course  in 
DePauw  University.  He  is  assisting  his  father  in  the  management  of  the 
home  farm  and  is  a  voung  man  of  much  business  ability  and  promise. 


:  ■•    -  :     .    -     WILLIAM  L.   DEXMAX.  •    - 

Tlie  able  and  po])ular  cashier  of  the  Eirst  Xational  Bank  of  Creencastle. 
William  L.  Denman.  is  most  consistently  accorded  recognition  in  a  work  of 
the  province  assigned  to  the  one  at  hand,  since  it  has  to  do  with  the  represent- 
ati\e  citizens  of  Putnam  county,  of  whicli  numlier  he  is  unquestionaljly  a 
worthv  member  and  has  long  played  well  his  part  in  the  development  of  the 
interests  of  this  locality,  indorsing  eveiy  movement  which  he  believes  will 
prove  beneficial  to  the  general  public.  ?Ie  has  sought  to  maintain  tlie  high 
standing  of  his  ancestors,  who  were  prominent  and  highly  respected  citizens 
of  Montgomery  county  in  the  early  days,  and  he  has  therefore  won  and  re- 
tained the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all  classes. 

Mr.  Denman  was  born  on  December  7.  185S.  near  Alamo.  Montgrmiery 
county.   Indiana.     His    father.   Moses    H.    Denman.    was   also   b(-irn    in    that 


WILLIAM  L.   DESMAN 


PUTNAM    COUXTV,    IXDIAXA.  273 

county,  his  birth  occurring  in  iSjj.  He  was  a  prosperous  farmer  and  oper- 
ated the  first  steam  threshing  machine  ever  seen  in  his  vicinity.  He  was  sum- 
moned to  close  his  earthly  accounts  on  October  39,  1868,  as  the  result  of  in- 
juries received  to  his  arm,  which  was  caught  in  the  machinery  of  his  thresher. 
William  L.  Denman's  mother  was  known  in  her  maidenhood  as  Jemima  Lee. 
She  was  born  in  1823,  in  Vigo  county.  Indiana,  the  daughter  of  John  Lee,  a 
pioneer  Baptist  minister,  living  four  miles  east  of  Crawfordsville  at  a  hamlet 
known  as  Smartsberg.  Her  parents  came  to  Montgomen*'  county  as  earlv  as 
1824  and  here  the  father  became  widely  known  and  accomplished  a  great  deal 
of  good  among  the  early  settlers.  John  Lee,  brother  of  Jemima,  was  the 
first  white  male  child  born  in  Montgomery  county.  He  became  a  noted  con- 
tractor and  built  the  Logansport  division  of  the  \'andalia  railroad.  Mrs. 
Moses  H.  Denman,  a  w.oman  of  many  praiseworthy  traits  of  character,  passed 
to  her  rest  in  1896,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  She  was  the  mother  of 
twehe  children,  si.x  of  whom  are  li\-ing  in  1910,  namely:  John  \\'.,  Elizabeth 
A..  James  \V.,  Mary,  Sarah  J.  and  Joel  M.  are  all  deceased;  Cynthia  L.  is  the 
widow  of  Thomas  F.  \'an  Cleave;  ^lartha  R.  is  the  wife  of  James  A.  Mvers, 
of  Alamo.  Indiana;  Alice  M.  is  the  wife  of  William  Payton,  of  Judson,  In- 
diana ;  Susan  M.  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Foster,  of  Waveland,  Indiana ;  William 
L.,  of  this  review;  Ida  F.  is  the  wife  of  Addison  Van  Clea\e.  li\ing  near 
Alamo,  this  state. 

The  Denman  family  is  of  English  stock.  William  Denman.  the  paternal 
grandfather  of  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch,  was  a  native 
of  Georgia.  He  was  a  sterling  pioneer,  a  Southerner  of  such  a  combination 
of  initiati\'e.  courage  and  gentleman!}'  attrilnites  that  he  could  claim  scores  of 
friends  \\here\er  he  was  kn(n\n  and  he  was  \-er}'  successful  in  his  life  work. 
He  and  his  wife  rode  on  horseback  from  (jeorgia  to  Indiana,  a  long  and  some- 
what hazardous  jcjurney.  in  the  early  days,  packing  all  their  w  orldly  pcissessions 
on  their  horse  and  while  one  rode  the  other  walked.  They  located  in  ^lont- 
gomery  count}-.  He  had  the  distinction  of  serxing  in  the  war  of  i8[j.  His 
death  occurred  about  1870  at  the  age  of  eighty-fi\'e  years.  He  married  Polly 
Ann  Hicks,  of  Georgia,  and  they  reared  a  large  family. 

William  L.  Denman  remained  in  the  town  of  Alamo  until  he  was  thirty 
years  of  age.  and  there  received  his  primar}-  education,  later  attending  the 
State  Xormal  School  at  Terre  Haute.  He  liegan  life  as  a  teacher,  which  line 
of  endeavor  he  followed  with  gratifying  results  for  a  period  of  four  years, 
and  had  he  elected  to  continue  teaching  he  would  doubtless  have  become  one 
of  the  noted  educators  of  the  state,  but  the  business  world  attracted  him  and 
he  entered  the  general  mercantile  business  at  Alamo  and  built  up  an  excellent 
(18) 


274 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


trade  during  the  four  years  he  maintained  his  store.  During  this  period  he 
was  trustee  of  Ripley  township,  being  the  youngest  trustee  ever  elected  in  the 
county  up  to  that  time.  He  performed  his  duties  so  faithfully  that  he  was  re- 
elected to  the  office  by  a  greater  majority  than  formerly,  in  fact,  it  was  the 
largest  majority  ever  given  in  that  township.  This  was  certainly  evidence  that, 
althougli  then  finite  a  young  man,  the  people  of  his  community  regarded  him 
as  the  possessor  of  unusual  acumen  and  business  ability.  He  has  always  been 
loyal  to  the  Democratic  cause. 

Mr.  Denman  then  moved  to  Craw  fords ville  and  went  into  the  insurance 
business,  which  he  followed  for  one  year.  He  attracted  the  attention  of  vari- 
ous insurance  companies  by  his  judicious  management  of  his  affairs  in  this 
line,  and  he  was  delegated  by  the  Ohio  Farmers'  Insurance  Company  to  come 
to  Greencastle  and  take  charge  of  their  a'gency  here,  where  the  company  had 
maintained  an  office  for  twelve  years  and  had  at  that  time  four  hundred  and 
fiftv  risks.  Mr.  Denman  prosecuted  his  work  so  vigorously  that  within  three 
vears  there  were  twenty-two  hundred  policy  holders  and  the  office  was  doing 
a  thriving  business. 

After  two  years'  residence  here  Mr.  Denman  was  elected  secretary  of  the 
Democratic  central  committee,  and  two  years  later  he  was  nominated  for 
countv  auditor  and  in  1894  he  was  elected  to  this  office  for  a  period  of  four 
years.  He  took  office  in  1S95  and  after  serving  out  his  allotted  time  he  served 
two  years  in  the  same  office  as  deputy  for  his  successor.  He  gave  the  utmost 
satisfaction  in  this  capacity  to  all  concerned. 

After  severing  his  connection  with  the  auditor's  office  he  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  establishment  of  W.  P.  Ledbetter, 
in  which  he  remained  one  year.  On  February  9.  1903,  he  became  cashier  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Greencastle.  He  came  to  this  position  well  quali- 
fied in  everv  respect,  being  a  man  of  rare  innate  business  ability  and  experience 
and  he  was  popular  throughout  the  county  and  a  man  of  known  reputable 
standing.  Since  that  time  this  institution  has  doubled  its  total  assets  and 
added  the  sum  of  thirty  thousand  dollars  to  its  surplus  fund.  In  Januaiy, 
1910,  Mr.  Denman  assumed  the  position  of  auditor  of  the  Marg  ^Mining  Com- 
pany, whose  mining  property  is  at  Ano  Nuevo,  Old  Mexico,  a  gold  and  silver 
property  in  which  he  is  a  heavy  stockholder.  He  expects  to  be  gone  for  two 
years. 

The  chapter  in  the  life  of  'Sir.  Denman  relating  to  his  domestic  affairs 
dates  from  lune  29,  1S89.  when  he  married  Ella  Sparks,  daughter  of  a  highly 
respected  family  of  Alamo.  Montgomer}-  county.  She  was  called  to  her  re- 
ward in  March.  1898.     Four  children  were  born  to  this  union,  named  as  fol- 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  2/5 

lows:  Mary  L.  is  tlie  wife  of  Paul  S.  Dee.  of  Cairo.  Illinois;  Darnall  S..  Rich- 
ard \Y.  and  Joel  J.  On  February  14,  1900,  ^[r.  Denham  married  Louise  A. 
Abrams.  wh(3  was  bc^rn  in  Mt.  Sterling.  Kentucky,  the  daughter  of  an  excel- 
lent famil}'.     This  union  is  without  issue. 

Mr.  Denman  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  of  which  he  has  been 
deacon  for  a  number  of  years  and  a  liberal  supporter,  being  interested  in  all 
phases  of  church  work.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Masons,  in  which  he 
has  attained  to  the  degree  of  a  Knight  Templar,  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
Personally  ^Mr.  Denman  is  a  man  whom  everybody  likes — genial,  jovial,  hon- 
orable in  all  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men,  and  he  is  always  readv  to  do 
his  part  in  furthering  the  interests  of  Putnam  county. 


BEX7AMIN  F.  CORWIN. 

Praise  is  always  due  to  merit  and  especially  where  merit  is  the  product 
of  unassisted  energv-  anrl  perseverance.  The  self-made  man  commands  our 
highest  respect.  Those  struggles  by  means  of  which  he  has  risen  from  ob- 
scurity to  honorable  distinction  can  not  fail  to  enlist  sympathy  and  call  forth 
our  warmest  applause.  Benjamin  F.  Corwin,  popularly  regarded  as  one  of 
the  ablest  and  busiest  attorneys  of  Putnam  county,  is  a  notable  example  of 
the  successful  self-made  man.  and  as  such  has  made  his  influence  felt  among 
his  fellow  citizens  in  private  and  public  life  and  by  his  exemplary  life,  which 
has  been  spent  in  his  home  county,  he  is  eminently  deserving  of  the  high 
esteem  in  which  he  is  held. 

Mr.  Corwin  was  born  in  Putnam  county.  Indiana.  December  4,  1859,  the 
son  of  Benjamin  F.  Corwin.  a  native  of  Mason  county,  Kentucky,  having  been 
born  there  on  February  26,  1811.  He  was  of  English  descent,  being  of  the 
sixth  generation  from  Mathias  Corwin.  His  father,  George  Corwin,  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  from  which  state  he  came  to  Indiana,  locating  in  Henry 
county,  but  remained  there  only  a  short  time  when  he  came  on  to  Putnam 
county,  where  he  farmed  successfully  and  died  here  in  the  late  forties.  He 
married  Xancy  Thornton  and  six  children  were  born  to  them.  Thus  the 
Corwin  family  has  been  among  the  history  makers  in  this  locality  since  the 
pioneer  da_\s.  and.  without  invidious  comparison,  suffice  it  to  say  that  each 
member  of  the  same  has  played  his  part  in  all  relations  of  life  as  well  as  any 
of  the  county's  foremost  citizens.  Benjamin  F.  Corwin.  Sr.,  father  of  the 
gentleman  \\hose  name  initiates  this  review,  devoted  his  life  to  farming  and 


276  weik's  historv  of 

merchandising,  mai<ing  a  snccess  of  both.  He  first  launched  in  the  mercantile 
business  soon  after  he  came  to  this  county,  about  1835,  selecting  the  village 
of  Bainbridge  for  his  store,  which  he  maintained  there  for  a  period  of  aI)out 
fifteen  vears.  doing  a  very  satisfactorv-  business  with  the  surrounding  country, 
manv  of  his  customers  coming  from  long  distances,  for  in  those  days  of  the 
first  settlers,  stores  and  trading  points  were  not  numerous.  He  acquired  con- 
siderable land  west  of  Bainbridge.  which  he  operated  on  an  extensive  scale 
until  his  death,  May  2,  187 J.  He  was  always  ready  to  assist  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  county  in  any  way,  and  was  especially  interested  in  promot- 
ing education,  and  the  schools  of  Bainbridge  bore  his  name  on  account  of 
his  work  in  their  behalf  and  his  liberal  support.  He  was  also  interested 
in  good  roads,  and  was  probably  the  first  man  to  make  an  effort  to  secure 
macadamized  roads  for  Putnam  county.  He  was  identified  with  the  Christian 
church,  but  he  held  independent  views  on  religion, 

Benjamin  F.  Corwin,  Sr.,  married  Juliet  St.  Clair  Whitsett,  who  was 
born  in  Montgomery  county,  Kentucky,  June  8,  1825,  and  when  eleven  years 
old,  in  1836,  she  came  to  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  with  her  parents.  She 
was  a  woman  of  many  sterling  traits  of  character  and  beloved  by  all  who 
knew  her;  she  reached  an  advanced  age,  dying  August  13,  1908,  at  Indian- 
apolis. To  this  union  seven  children  were  bom,  five  of  whom  are  living 
at  this  writing,  namely:  Henry  C.  died  in  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  in  1864, 
while  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army;  William  R.  is  a  teacher  at  Fulton,  ;\Iis- 
souri ;  Mrs.  Margaret  Dunnington  lives  in  Indianapolis;  George  \V.  died  in 
June,  1905;  Mary  Corwin  lives  in  Indianapolis,  an  instructor  in  the  art  depart- 
ment of  the  school  for  the  deaf;  Benjamin  F..  Jr..  of  this  review;  ]\[ilton  T. 
lives  in  Cincinnati. 

Benjamin  F.  Corwin  was  b(5rn  on  the  home  farm  in  Monroe  township, 
where  he  assisted  with  the  general  work  on  the  place  during  the  summer 
months,  receiving  his  primaiy  schooling  in  the  common  schools.  When  thir- 
teen vears  of  age,  in  1872,  he  came  to  Greencastle  and  spent  one  year  in 
the  public  schools,  then  entered  the  preparatory  school  of  DePauw  University 
and  there  diligentlv  pursued  his  studies  for  a  period  of  two  years,  then  en- 
tered the  universitv  proper,  taking  a  four-year  course,  doing  very  creditable 
and  satisfactorv  work,  graduating  in  June.  1S79,  f^^en  being  only  nineteen 
vears  of  age.  He  had  decided  to  devote  his  talents  to  the  law.  and  he  scon 
thereafter  became  a  law  student  in  the  office  of  Williamson  &  Daggey,  in 
Greencastle,  with  whom  he  remained  for  a  pericxl  of  two  years,  when  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  and  at  once  opened  an  office  and  began  practicing  in 
this  citv.     He  was  located  in  the  Williamson  block  until   1892.  when  he  re- 


PCTXAM    COUNTY.    INDIANA.  277 

moved  to  his- present  quarters  over  the  First  National  Bank.  In  18S3  '^"^ 
formed  a  partnership  with  Henry  C.  Lewis,  which  continued  until  the  latter's 
death,  in  February.  1901.  since  which  time  Mr.  Corwin  has  been  practicing 
alone,  having  built  up  a  large  clientele  and  being  one  of  the  most  active  and 
powerful  members  of  the  local  bar. 

As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Corwin  is  the  emanation  of  his  own  first  inclination,  as 
the  echo  is  of  the  sounding  board  that  produced  it.  In  forensic  disputation 
his  strong  weapon  is  pure  reason,  by  both  comparative  and  deducti\'e  processes, 
without  marshaling  the  aids  of  rhetoric  or  eloquence,  accessories,  it  may  be 
added,  which,  when  occasion  suggests,  are  in  available  resen,-e.  He  proceeds 
firmly  and  strongly  on  and  along  direct  lines  to  his  objective,  deflecting  neither 
to  the  right  nor  to  the  left.  Fluent  in  expression,  with  purity  and  elegance  of 
style,  precise  and  faultless  in  language  and  the  orderly  and  symmetrical  ar- 
rangement of  w'ords  and  ideas,  the  stream  of  calm,  subtle,  sinewy,  unbroken 
logic,  disdaining  unnecessary  ornament  and  declining  the  ordinary  resources 
of  the  orator,  is  fascinating  to  hear  and  often  almost  irresistible  in  his  per- 
suasion. He  possesses  the  elements  of  determination,  courage,  and  his  mental 
organism  is  broad,  solid  and  disciplined  to  the  last  degree  by  thought  and 
study:  is  singularly  free  from  any  narrowness  of  professional  badinage  and 
sport,  and  the  prejudice  and  partialities  of  the  mere  attorney. 

Mr.  Corwin  is  a  Republican  and  very  active  in  local  and  state  politics, 
but  he  has  never  held  public  office.  He  has  never  assumed  the  responsibilities 
of  the  married  state.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Sigma  Phi  fraternity,  taking  an  especial  inter- 
est in  the  latter. 


CHARLES  HOWARD  BARXABY. 

The  record  of  Charles  H.  Barnaby  is  that  of  an  enterprising  gentleman 
who  worthily  upholds  an  honored  family  name  and  whose  life  has  been  very 
intimately  associated  with  the  material  prosperity  of  Putnam  county  during 
the  most  progressive  period  of  its  history.  He  has  always  been  found  on 
the  right  side  of  questions  looking  to  the  development  of  bis  community  in 
anv  wav.  and  while  he  has  been  prominent  in  the  industrial  affairs  of  the 
county,  he  has  at  the  same  time  won  an  enviable  reputation  for  honesty 
anfl  wholesome  Hving.  He  is  widely  known  as  a  luml>er  dealer — one  of  the 
largest,  in  fact,  in  this  locality,  maintaining  at  Greencastle  an  extensive  yard. 
and  his  office  is  always  a  busy  place. 


270  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

Mr.  Barnaby  was  born  at  Bourbon,  Marshall  county.  Indiana,  December 
21,  1870.  His  father,  long  a  well  known  and  influential  man  of  this  county, 
was  Howard  Barnaby,  a  native  of  Salem,  Ohio,  who  came  to  Indiana  in  the 
early  sixties,  locating  in  Bourbon.  He  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  sawmill 
business,  having  been  associated  with  a  company  owning  several  mills,  and 
in  the  late  seventies,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  timber,  this  company  located 
one  of  its  mills  in  Owen  county,  and  in  the  spring  of  1S82  Mr.  Barnaby 
moved  his  family  to  Greencastle  that  they  might  be  close  to  him.  In  1883  he 
moved  the  mill  from  Owen  to  Putnam  county  and  he  continued  to  operate 
the  same  here  until  his  death  in  July.  1887.  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  1832.  He  was  a  successful  business  man  and  honoraljle  in 
his  dealings,  provided  his  family  with  all  the  comforts  of  a  good  home  and 
leaving  them  a  competency.  After  his  death,  Charles  H.  and  Elmer  E. 
Barnaby,  his  sons,  took  up  the  milling  business.  In  the  spring  of  1898,  Charles 
H.  purchased  the  other's  interest  and  carried  on  the  work  in  a  very  successful 
manner,  having  mastered  all  the  details  of  the  lumber  and  milling  business 
under  his  father,  who  was  during  his  career  here  one  of  the  best  known  men 
in  this  line  in  Putnam  and  adjoining  counties. 

The  mother  of  Charles  H.  Barnaby  was  known  in  her  maidenhood  as 
Rachael  Votaw,  born  and  reared  near  Salem,  Ohio,  the  Votaw  family  having 
been  prominent  there  for  many  years.  Nine  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Howard  Barnaby.  named  as  follows  :  Dr.  Emma  is  living  at  Greencastle  ; 
Elmer  E.  is  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  at  Charleston,  Missouri ;  Lorena 
died  in  1888:  Cora  is  the  wife  of  G.  W.  DeLanoy,  of  Xew  York  City:  Louie 
married  E.  Parsons  and  is  living  in  Philadelpliia:  Charles  H..  of  this  re\'iew : 
Mary  married  W.  F.  VanLoan.  of  Dayton.  Ohio:  Darwin  S.  lives  in  Green- 
castle. The  first  child  born  to  these  parents  died  in  infancy.  The  mother 
passed  to  her  rest  in  1897.  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years,  liaving  been  bom  in 
1839.  Tlie  Barnaby  family  goes  back  to  an  English  ancestry  on  the  paternal 
side  and  to  French  ancestr\-  on  the  maternal  side.  Stephen  Barnaby.  grand- 
father of  Charles  H.  Barnaby.  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  who  settled 
in  Salem,  Ohio,  where  he  followed  his  trade  of  wagon  making. 

Charles  H.  Barnaby  was  eleven  years  old  when  his  parents  brought  him 
from  Marshall  county,  Indiana,  to  Greencastle.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  at  Bourbon  and  Greencastle  and  he  began  his  commercial 
career  when  only  sixteen  years  of  age  on  account  of  his  father's  death.  In 
Julv.  1887.  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother,  as  already  indicated, 
and  he  has  continued  to  deal  in  lumber  ever  since.     The  plant  was  destroyed 


PUTXAM     COUNTY,    IXDIAXA.  279 

1)}-  hre  ten  years  ago.  but  it  was  replaced,  better  and  more  extensive  tiian  e\"er, 
the  entire  plant  now  covering  about  twenty-tive  acres,  and  is  known  as  one 
of  the  largest  manufacturers  of  hardwood  lumber  in  this  part  of  the  state; 
the  plant  also  turns  out  high  grade  veneer  work,  operating  a  band  sawmill 
which  saws  from  fifteen  thousand  to  twenty  thousand  feet  of  lumber  daih-. 
To  supply  this  large  quantity  logs  are  drawn  from  a  radius  of  fiftv  miles  of 
Greencastle.  Lumber  is  marketed  in  Germany  and  as  far  west  as  San  Fran- 
cisco;  a  hirge  export  trade  is  carried  on  in  both  Germany  and  England. 

;Mr.  Earnaby  was  for  three  years  president  of  the  Indiana  Hardwood 
Lnml:ermen"s  Association,  tluring  which  the  association  thrived  and  accomp- 
lished many  important  things.  He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Hardwood 
Lumber  Association,  being  a  member  of  the  executive  committee,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Xational  Wholesale  Lumber 
Dealers'  Association,  the  National  Veneer  and  Panel  Association,  the  Indiana 
Retail  Lumber  Association,  anil  he  takes  a  very  acti\'e  part  in  all  association 
work  and  is  prominent  in  lumljer  circles  throughout  the  United  States. 

The  domestic  chapter  in  'Sir.  Barnaby's  life  began  on  October  30.  1895, 
when  he  married  Bess  Robbins.  a  lady  of  culture  and  refinement,  of  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  the  representative  of  an  excellent  old  Southern  family.  She  was 
born,  reared  and  educated  in  that  city.  Three  interesting  chiklren  have  graced 
this  union,  namely;  Dorothea,  aged  twelve;  Howard,  age  nine,  and  Charles 
H..  Jr..  age  three. 

Airs.  Barnaby  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  Fraternallv  Mr. 
Earnaby  is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  but  he  does  not  find  time  to  take  a  very  active  part ;  how- 
ever, he  is  ileeply  interested  in  whate\er  tends  to  the  general  uplift  of  his  com- 
munity. Personally  he  is  genial,  jolly,  a  good  mixer,  gentlemanlv  and 
straightforward  in  all  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men.  He  occupies  a  con- 
s])icuous  place  among  the  leading  men  of  Putnam  county  and  enjoys  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him.  His  record  demonstrates  that 
w  here  there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way  and  that  obstacles  to  success  mav  be  over- 
come by  courage  and  self-reliance.  His  career,  though  strenuous,  has  been 
fraught  with  good  to  his  fellow  men.  and  his  example  is  cordially  commended 
to  the  youth  of  the  land  whose  life  works  are  yet  matters  for  the  future  to  de- 
termine. 

'Sir.  and  Mrs.  Barnaby  have  an  attractive  and  modern  home  which  is  fre- 
quently the  gathering  place  for  the  many  warm  friends  of  the  family  wdio 
ne\er  fail  to  find  here  genuine  hospitality  and  good  cheer. 


28o  weik's  history  of 


EZRA  B.  E\'AXS.  M.  D. 


Success  in  what  are  popularly  termed  the  learned  professipns  is  tlie  legit- 
imate result  of  merit  and  painstaking  endeavor.  In  commercial  life  one  mav 
come  into  possession  of  a  lucrative  business  through  inheritance  or  gift,  but 
professional  atlvancement  is  gained  only  by  critical  study  and  consecntixe  re- 
search long  continued.  Proper  intellectual  discipline,  thorough  professional 
knowledge  and  the  possession  and  utilization  of  the  ([ualities  and  attributes 
essential  to  success  ha\e  made  Dr.  Ezra  B.  Evans  eminent  in  his  chosen  call- 
ing, and  he  stands  today  amo  ng  the  scholarly  and  enterprising  physicians  and 
surgeons  in  a  community  long  distinguished  for  the  high  order  of  its  medical 
talent. 

Doctor  Evans  was  born  in  Morgan  township,  Owen  county,  Indiana, 
August  5,  1846.  He  comes  from  an  excellent  ancestry.  His  father,  Samuel 
P.  Evans,  was  born  in  Bath  county,  Kentucky,  June  3,  1821,  and  when  four 
years  old  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Indiana,  locating  among  the  pioneers  in 
Cloverdale  township,  Putnam  count}-.  The  Doctor's  grandfather.  Rev. 
Thomas  Evans,  was  born  May  27,  1799.  in  Bath  county,  Kentucky.  He  was  a 
noted  minister  in  his  day  and  did  a  great  deal  of  good  among  the  early  settlers. 
He  married  Amanda  (Dolney)  Martin  and  they  became  the  parents  of  ten 
children.  He  came  to  Putnam  county.  Indiana,  in  1S25,  and,  in  connection 
with  his  ministry  in  the  Methodist  church,  he  carried  on  farming.  Prior  to 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  he  moved  to  \\'inter.set,  Iowa,  and  later  to 
Mt.  Pleasant,  that  state,  where  his  death  occurred  in  August.  1870. 

The  Evans  family  originated  in  Wales,  and  in  tracing  the  genealogv  of 
this  interesting  tamil\"  we  find  that  Lot  E\ans  was  born  there  in  1643,  ^''"'1  that 
he  and  his  three  sons  started  on  a  voyage  to  America  with  the  famous  William 
Penn,  but  before  completing  the  long,  tedious  trip,  the  father  died  and  was 
buried  at  sea.  Of  his  three  boys,  Charles  was  born  in  1664.  Thomas  in  1662 
and  Lot,  Jr.,  in  1666.  Thomas  Evans,  the  first,  married  Alartha  Elizabeth 
Roberts,  in  1730.  She  reached  the  almost  incredible  age  of  one  hundred  and 
eleven  years,  dying  in  1803.  One  of  their  se\'en  children.  Thomas  Evans,  [r.. 
born  in  1739.  ran  away  from  home,  joined  the  army  and  was  in  the  Erench 
and  Indian  war  and  later  fought  in  the  Revolution  under  Washington.  He 
died  in  Kentucky  in  1825.  Llis  wife  Sarah  died  at  Russellville.  Indiana,  June 
5.  1S34,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety -one  years.  They  became  the  parents 
of  two  children.  John  and  Francis,  the  former  being  the  great-grandfather  of 
OiX'tor  Evans  of  this  review.      He  was  born  October  25,   1763,  and  died  July 


^  /3  & 


(J> 


^/'t^'^-d  2s 


PL'TXAM    COUXTV,    IXDIAXA.  20I 

2.  1 84 1,  at  Russelhille,  Indiana,  having  devoted  his  Hfe  to  the  ministrv.  He 
married  Sarah  Prather.  who  was  Ixirn  in  [76*1  and  who  died  in  1831  at  Rus- 
sellviile.  Indiana.  They  were  tlie  parents  of  seven  children,  one  of  wiiom, 
Thomas  Evans,  was  the  grantlfather  of  Doctor  E\ans. 

Samuel  Parker  Evans,  the  Doctor's  father,  was  born  June  3.  i8ji,  and 
at  an  earl_\-  da\-  entered  land  in  Morgan  township.  Owen  county,  Indiana. 
This  lie  farmed,  later  removing  to  Spencer,  this  state,  where  he  remained  un- 
til the  fall  of  1902.  when  he  moved  to  Greencastle.  He  married  Mary^  Swift, 
who  was  born  near  Bloomington,  Indiana,  where  her  people  were  well  known 
and  influential  for  many  years.  This  union  resulted  in  the  birth  of  four 
children,  namel_\' :  Louis  Benson,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  while 
a  soldier,  March  20,  1862;  Dr.  Ezra  B.,  subject  of  this  review;  Catherine  mar- 
ried Roi)ert  Speers.  now  deceased:  he  was  principal  of  the  high  school  of 
Evansville  for  a  period  of  twenty  years.  Thomas  Evans  died  January  10, 
1870.  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  The  mother  of  these  children  was 
called  to  her  rest  on  July  29.  1903.  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  having  been 
born  March  8.  182  [. 

Doctor  E\-ans  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  home  farm.  He  -^xas  an 
ambitious  lad  and  studied  hard,  early  forming  the  ambition  to  become  a  prac- 
titioner of  medicine.  With  this  end  in  \'iew  he  took  a  course  in  Asbur)-  (  now 
DePauw)  L'nixersity,  beginning  his  stuilies  there  in  1865.  He  began  reading 
medicine  in  1868  under  Dr.  John  Wilcox  of  Greencastle.  and  after  spending 
eighteen  months  in  his  office  he  entered  the  University  of  Virginia,  at  Char- 
lottesville, from  which  he  was  graduated  with  a  very  creditable  record  in  1871. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  began  practice  in  Greencastle.  Indiana,  and  he  has 
remained  here  e\"er  since.  He  soon  had  a  ver}-  satisfactory  patronage  with 
the  towns  and  surrounding  country,  w  hich  has  continued  to  increase  until  he 
has  won  and  retained  a  reputation  second  to  none,  his  name  being  familiar  in 
every  household  in  the  county  and  to  many  in  adjoining  counties;  however, 
he  is  not  at  present  in  active  practice. 

Doctor  Evans  was  married  on  September  2.  1873.  to  Mary  A.  Golding, 
who  was  born  in  Greencastle,  the  acci:implished  daughter  of  an  influential  fam- 
ily, her  parents  being  \A'illiam  O.  and  Charlotte  Adeline  (  Day)  Golding.  Xo 
children  ha\e  Iieen  born  to  this  union. 

Mrs.  Evans  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Eraternally  the 
Doctor  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Itjdge  Xo.  47,  the  Knights  Templar,  Command- 
ery  Xo.  11.  being  past  eminent  commander;  he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  having  passed  through  all  the  chairs  in  the  same,  and  he  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Politically  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  while  be  has  never  iouml  much  time  to  interest  himself  in  po- 


282  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

litical  matters,  he  is  known  to  be  an  advocate  of  whatever  tends  to  promote 
the  county's  interests,  pohtically  or  otherwise.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  education  for  three  years,  and  he  also  served  very  creditably  on  the  county 
council.  Xo  man  in  tlie  cuunty  is  better  or  more  fa\orably  known  than  he, 
for  he  has  not  only  been  very  successful  as  a  physician,  but  he  is  admired  for 
his  public  spirit  and  his  efforts  to  bear  aloft  the  honor  that  has  attended  the 
familv  name  since  the  earliest  pioneer  days. 


FRAXCIS  ^lARIOX  LYOX. 

Coupled  with  Francis  M.  Lyon's  ability  as  an  attorney  is  his  unusual 
clearness  of  perception,  analytical  tact  and  soundness  of  theory,  also  his 
courteous  manners,  persistency  and  unswerving  integrity,  these  and  other 
commendable  attributes  rendering  him  one  of  the  strong  and  influential 
attorneys  of  Putnam  county  and  one  of  the  successful  practitioners  of  a  com- 
munitv  noted  for  the  high  order  of  its  legal  talent.  For  many  years  his 
office  in  Greencastle  has  been  a  very  busy  place  and  many  of  the  principal 
cases  in  the  local  courts  find  him  on  one  sitle  or  the  other,  always  alert,  fair, 
unswerving  and  always  laboring  for  the  interests  of  his  large  clientele. 

Mr.  Lyon  represents  an  old  and  highly  esteemed  family  of  this  county, 
his  forebears  having  located  here  in  an  epoch  which  historians  are  pleased 
to  allude  to  as  "early"  and  they  have  since  played  well  their  parts  in  trans- 
forming the  locality  from  its  primitive  state  to  the  opulent  present.  He  was 
born  at  Hamrick  Station,  Putnam  county,  Indiana.  :\Lay  9,  1857.  His  father 
was  Valentine  Lyon,  a  native  of  Fluvanna  county,  \'irginia.  born  April  3, 
1798.  He  there  grew  to  maturity  and  moved  to  Owen  county.  Indiana,  in 
1 8 JO.  where  he  lived  until  1846.  when  he  moveti  to  Greencastle  for  the  pur- 
pose of  educating  his  children  in  old  Asbury  L^niversity.  being  a  strong  advo- 
cate of  higher  etlucation  and  a  man  who  delighted  in  giving  his  children  every 
opportunity  possible,  and  he  was  a  strong  supporter  of  the  university  here; 
also  took  an  active  part  in  the  Methodist  congregation.  He  devoted  his  life  to 
farming  and  was  verv  successful.  Remaining  in  Putnam  until  1861.  he  re- 
turned to  Owen  county,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  18S7,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  nearly  ninety  years.  His  long  and  useful  life  was  a  lesson  to 
all  who  knew  him  for  he  never  neglected  a  chance  to  be  of  service  in  any  re- 
lation of  life:  scrupulously  honest  and  always  hospitable — a  typical  old-time 
Virginia  gentleman.  He  married  Zarelda  Myers,  daughter  of  Xoble  J.  Myers. 
and  she  was  born  on  a  farm  three  miles  north  of  Greencastle.  January  jj. 


PUTNAM    COL-XTV,    INDIANA.  283 

i8j6.  Her  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Solomon  Kaufman.  [Mrs.  Lyon 
uas  a  woman  of  many  beautiful  traits  of  character,  and  she  passed  to  her 
rest  in  1906,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Valentine  Lyon  was  first  married  to 
]^rary  Payne,  a  native  of  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  which  union  resulted  in 
the  birth  of  thirteen  children,  twelve  of  whom  lived  to  maturitv.  but  only 
four  of  this  large  family  are  living  at  this  writing.  Seven  children  were  born 
to  the  second  union,  named  as  follows:  Charles  E.  is  living  in  Topeka,  Kan- 
sas: Francis  M.,  of  this  review:  George  W.  lives  in  Clinton.  Iowa:  Henry 
Eascom  is  a  resident  of  Cheyenne.  Wyoming:  Prof.  Oliver  L.  lives  at  Enid. 
Oklahoma:  Mrs.  Emma  Florence  Roberts  lives  near  [Manhattan.  Putnam 
county :  Ulysses  G.  lives  on  a  farm  near  Reelsville.  Putnam  countv. 

The  remote  ancestors  of  the  Lyon  family  were  French  .Acadians,  who 
came  into  the  L'nited  States  from  Xova  Scotia,  having  been  banished  from 
Acadia  and  cast  ashore,  later  landing  on  the  coast  of  Maryland.  From  there 
they  went  to  Virginia  where  the  family  became  well  established  and  pros- 
perous: there,  in  Fluvanna  county,  James  Lyon,  grandfather  of  Francis  M., 
was  born.  The  Lyon  family  has  always  been  strongly  bent  toward  educational 
and  musical  lines:  nine  members  of  this  family  of  the  recent  generation  were 
teachers. 

Francis  'M.  Lyon  was  educated  in  the  high  school  at  Spencer,  Owen 
county,  Indiana,  then  attended  the  Central  Xormal  School  at  Danville  and 
the  State  Xormal  at  Terre  Haute.  His  first  inclination  was  to  practice  medi- 
cine and  with  this  end  in  view  he  studied  medicine  during  the  summer  months 
and  taught  school  in  the  \\  inter  time,  soon  becoming  well  known  throughout 
the  county  as  an  able  and  painstaking  instructor.  In  1889  he  was  elected  su- 
perintendent of  schools  of  Putnam  county,  and  so  faithfully  and  well  did  he 
perform  the  duties  of  this  office  that  he  was  re-elected  three  times,  holding  the 
office  four  terms  or  eight  years,  during  which  time  the  work  throughout  the 
county  was  greatly  strengthened,  the  courses  made  more  attractive  to  pupils, 
teachers  were  encouraged  and  patrons  pleased  with  the  excellent  svstem  per- 
fected by  him.  Flad  he  continued  in  this  line  of  work  he  doubtless  would  have 
become  one  of  the  leading  educators  of  the  state:  but  turning  from  both 
teaching  and  medicine,  he  began  the  study  of  law  under  Silas  A.  Hays,  making 
rapid  progress  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  due  course  of  time.  He  formed 
a  law  partnership  with  Charles  T.  Peck,  which  still  exists,  the  firm  being  one 
of  the  best  known  in  the  county  and  regarded  as  strong  and  reliable,  fio-uring 
prominently  in  all  local  courts.  ;\[r.  Lyon  is  regarded  by  his  large  clientele 
as  a  fair,  painstaking,  energetic  champion  of  their  rights,  and  he  is  a  "ood 
lawyer. 

Mr.  Lyr>n's  domestic  life  began  October  9.  1879.  when  he  married  Anna 


284  weik's  history  of 

A.  Houck,  the  refined  daughter  of  Anthony  and  Martha  A.  Houck.  of  Putnam 
county,  where  Mrs.  Lyon  was  born  October  9.  1861.  This  union  has  re- 
sulted in  the  birth  of  three  sons,  namely:  Oscar  Earl,  who  died  in  infancy, 
Orrell  E.  w  as  born  on  October  26.  1885 ;  Glen  Houck  Lyon  was  born  on  July 
17.  1898. 

Mr.  Lyon  is  purely  a  self-made  man,  educated  himself,  working  liard  to 
do  so.  and  he  is  deserving  of  much  credit  for  the  success  he  has  achieved. 
He  is  attorney  for  the  Western  Tin-Plate  Company.  He  is  the  owner  of  two 
fine  farms  and  is  extensively  engaged  in  loaning  money.  For  ten  years  he 
has  ])een  a  member  of  the  lioard  of  directors  of  the  Commercial  Club  of  Green- 
castle.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  the  blue  lodge,  the  chapter, 
commandery.  Scottish  rite  and  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Xobles  of  the 
Mvstic  Shrine.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  belongs  to 
the  Gentlemen's  Literary  Club,  a  very  exclusive  organization.  In  politics  he 
is  an  active  and  influential  worker  in  the  Democratic  ranks,  and  he  and  Mrs. 
Lyon  are  members  of  the  College  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Lvon  has  always  taken  a  great  interest  in  the  prosperity  and  ad- 
vancement of  Putnam  county  and  endorses  even.'  movement  which  he  be- 
lieves will  prove  a  benefit  to  humanity.  He  is  genial,  a  good  mixer,  sociable 
and  straightforward  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men.  His  achievements 
represent  the  results  of  honest  endeavor  along  lines  where  mature  judgment 
has  opened  the  way.  He  possesses  a  weight  of  character,  a  native  sagacity, 
a  discriminating  judgment  and  a  fidelity  of  purpose  that  command  the  respect, 
if  not  the  approval  of  all  with  whom  he  is  associated.  He  takes  first  rank 
among  the  leading  citizens  of  Putnam  county,  being  a  leader  in  financial,  edu- 
cational, social  and  civic  affairs. 


CHARLES  LUETEKE. 

The  biographer  is  glad  to  herein  set  forth  the  salient  facts  in  the  emi- 
nently successful  and  honorable  career  of  the  well  remembered  and  highly 
esteemed  citizen  of  Putnam  county  whose  name  appears  alwve.  the  last  chap- 
ter in  whose  life  record  has  been  closed  by  the  hand  of  death  and  the  seal 
set  thereon  forever,  but  whose  influence  still  pervades  the  lives  of  those  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact.  For  many  years  he  was  closely  identified  with 
the  industrial  development  of  the  county  and  aided  in  every  way  possible  in 
promoting  the  general  good  of  the  community.  The  terms  "progress"  and 
"patriotism"  might  be  considered  two  of  the  keynotes  of  the  character  of 


PUTNAM     COUNTY,    IXDIAXA.  285 

Charles  Lueteke.  for  throughout  his  career  he  labored  for  the  improvement 
of  both  business  and  public  interests,  and  at  all  times  was  actuated  by  a 
patriotic  love  for  his  adopted  country  and  her  welfare.  During  his  long  and 
eminently  worthy  career  in  Putnam  county  no  man  was  better  known  or  held 
in  higher  esteem  and  he  is  certainly  deserving  of  most  conspicuous  mention  in 
the  history  of  his  locality. 

Mr.  Lueteke  was  born  in  Mecklenberg.  Germany,  on  }ilarch  7.  1844.  and 
when  fourteen  vears  of  age  he  began  his  apprenticeship  to  the  baker's  trade, 
which  he  thoroughly  mastered  at  an  early  age.  All  trades  are  taught  with 
minute  nicety  in  the  old  country  and  the  case  of  Mr.  Lueteke  was  no  ex- 
ception to  the  common  rule  and  he  devoted  his  life  work  almost  exclusively 
to  this  work,  remaining  in  his  native  land  until  1868,  when  he  emigrated  to 
the  L'nited  States.  He  made  his  way  to  Indiana  and  Uicated  at  Greencastle, 
and  here  he  at  once  secured  work  with  Lyon  &  Weik.  as  a  baker.  After  a  resi- 
dence of  three  years  in  this  country  he  returned  to  Germany,  making  a  visit 
of  three  months  to  his  childhood  home,  during  which  time  he  was  married  to 
Johanna  Voss.  Returning  to  America,  they  located  in  Chicago  and  engaged 
in  the  bakery  business.  He  was  prospering-  when  misfortune  overtook  him 
during  the  great  fire  of  187 1  which  burned  him  out  completely.  Thrown 
again  on  his  own  resources  with  little  capital,  he  went  to  Indian- 
apolis and  after  working  there  for  a  short  time  at  his  trade,  came  to  Green- 
castle and  entered  the  same  business,  locating  on  the  square,  but  the  fire  fiend 
still  pursued  him  and  he  was  one  of  the  victims  of  the  big  fire  in  October, 
1874.  which  proved  so  disastrous  to  Putnam  county's  capital  city.  The  blow 
was  serious,  but.  being  a  man  of  indomitable  courage  and  fortitude,  he  was 
not  to  be  subdued  by  disaster  and  soon  we  find  him  reinstaterl  in  South 
Greencastle  in  the  baking  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Lueteke  &  Stephen- 
son and  in  a  few  vears  became  sole  owner  by  buying-  out  his  partner.  His 
business  grew  bv  leaps  and  bounds — it  grew  because  he  was  well  informed  on 
all  the  details  of  his  line  of  business,  because  he  was  progressive  and  because 
he  was  honest,  his  numerous  customers  knowing  that  they  would  get  a  fair 
deal  with  him.  his  bakery  long  supplying  by  far  the  greatest  amount  of  bread 
to  this  anil  adjoining  cities,  such  as  Coatesville.  Stilesville.  Amo.  Cloverdale 
and  manv  others.  He  successfully  met  competition  from  many  quarters.  He 
had  a  liig  trade  in  cakes  and  rolls,  his  bread  trade  being  sometimes  enormous 
for  a  small  city.  To  have  built  up  a  business  of  such  proportions  in  a  city 
the  size  of  Greencastle.  and  to  win  a  name  throughout  this  section  of  the  state 
in  the  baking  business  proves  that  ^f^.  Lueteke  was  possessed  of  both  ad- 
ministrative and  executive  abilitv ;  it  means  that  he  discovered  the  truth  of  the 


286  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

old  axiom  that  "there  is  room  at  the  top"  for  any  well  conducted  enterprise. 
He  entered  lite  without  anything  except  his  good  business  judgment,  energy 
and  honesty,  and  besides  his  well  equipped  bakery  he  owned  Lindenhurst, 
one  of  the  finest  homes  in  Greencastle.  He  was  known  as  a  very  charitable 
man.  He  was  exceptionally  kind  in  his  home  and  was  at  all  times  respected 
and  trusted  in  all  walks  of  life. 

This  excellent  citizen  was  called  to  his  rest  June  5,  1902,  having  been 
suddenly  stricken  with  cerebral  hemorrhage  while  engaged  in  the  regular 
course  of  his  duties.  He  was  fifty-eight  years  old  and  was  robust  and  very 
active  up  to  the  day  before  he  passed  away. 

Mr,  Lueteke  was  a  member  and  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  was  elected  to  the  city  council  about  1890  and  proved  a  useful 
member  in  urging  movements  calculated  to  better  the  condition  of  the  city. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Lueteke  eight  children  were  born,  Harriet, 
Charles,  Frank  (deceased),  Nellie,  Harry,  Albert  and  two  children  that  died 
in  infancy.  The  mother  of  these  children,  who,  with  her  husband,  is  sleep- 
ing the  sleep  of  the  just,  is  remembered  as  a  woman  of  pleasing  personality, 
kind  and  gentle  bearing  and  who  spared  no  pains  in  rearing  her  children  in 
a  wholesome  home  atmosphere.  She  was  born  in  ^lecklenberg,  Germany, 
November  2,  1844,  the  daughter  of  Fredrica  and  Carl  Voss,  the  father  a 
forester  of  the  above  named  city.  She  came  to  America  with  Charles  Lueteke, 
whom  she  married  in  the  Fatherland,  August  30,  1870,  and  during  all  the 
business  vicissitudes  of  her  husband  she  proved  to  be  a  wise  counselor  and 
her  encouragement  and  optimism  were  no  doubt  very  largely  responsible  for 
much  of  his  later  success.  The  vocation  of  her  father  and  the  beautiful 
character  of  her  mother  gave  her  superior  advantages  for  the  development 
of  a  rich,  full  life  and  close  comradeship  with  what  is  best  in  the  three  king- 
doms. She  was  bv  nature  of  a  deep  religious  character,  but  in  the  home  was 
where  her  virtues  shone  with  a  peculiar  luster.  She  was  reared  in  the  Lu- 
theran faith,  but  since  this  denomination  had  no  existence  in  Greencastle  she 
united  with  her  family  in  full  membership  with  the  Presbyterian  church,  Oc- 
tober 22,  1 88 1.  She  was  strong  in  humanity  and  large  in  the  making  and 
keeping  of  friends.  She  was  always  ready  and  very  willing  to  comfort  the 
sorrowing  and  raise  the  fallen.  Her  sincere  friendships  included  what  was 
best  in  every  rank  of  society.  This  good  woman  was  called  to  her  reward 
Mav  II.  1908,  and  it  seemed  fitting  that  she  and  her  husband  both  should 
meet  their  Pilot  face  to  face  in  the  full  tide  of  May  when  everything  in  na- 
ture betokens  a  coming  of  perfect  fruit  and  cloudless  skies. 

Charles  Lueteke,  Jr.,  the  eldest  son  of  the  family,  who  is  proving  a  worthy 
son  and  taking  his  place  among  the  progressive  citizens  of  Greencastle,  was 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  287 

born  at  Greencastle,  Indiana.  He  received  good  educational  advantages  and, 
under  the  guidance  of  his  father,  he  soon  learned  the  bakery  business  and  was 
thereby  well  qualified  to  assume  full  charge  of  the  same  upon  the  death  of 
his  father,  and  he  has  been  very  successful,  devoting  his  close  personal  at- 
tention to  every  detail  of  the  business,  carr}-ing  on  both  a  wholesale  and  re- 
tail trade  which  are  extensive  in  their  scope,  enjoying  not  only  a  very  satis- 
factory patronage  in  Greencastle,  but  also  with  the  surrounding  towns. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Lueteke  is  a  member  of  the  Elks  and  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  city  coun- 
cil from  the  third  ward  and  rendering  good  service  to  his  immediate  constit- 
uents as  well  as  the  people  at  large.  He  seems  to  have  inherited  his  father's 
geniality  and  popularity,  is  liked  by  everybody  and  fulfills  all  the  requirements 
of  a  good  citizen.  He  is  a  liberal  giver  in  the  cause  of  worthy  charities,  but 
does  it  without  ostentation. 

On  March  31.  1903,  Charles  Lueteke,  Jr..  married  Mary  E.  Hibbitt, 
daughter  of  Edward  E.  Hibbitt.  of  Greencastle. 

The  Lueteke  family  has  long  been  popular  in  all  circles  in  this  city 
and  none  enjo}'  a  wider  acquaintance  or  more  true  friends.  They  are  fine 
examples  of  our  best  German  citizenship,  industrious,  frugal,  enterprising, 
and  cheerfully  aid  in  all  worthy  causes  to  help  along  the. community  and  build 
up  the  town,  thereby  making  themselves  popular  with  all  classes. 


ISAIAH  VERAIILLION. 

One  of  the  sterling  pioneers  of  the  Middle  West  who  figured  in  the 
history  of  the  early  days  and  assisted  in  paving  the  way  for  subsequent  de- 
\elopment  was  Isaiah  Vermillion,  who  was  bom  ?^Iarch  24,  1782,  probably  in 
\'irginia,  and.  after  a  remarkable  career  for  those  days,  which  was  prolonged 
to  well  nigh  the  century  mark,  he  passed  away  on  October  23,  1871,  in  Monroe 
township,  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  where  he  had  long  been  an  honored  resi- 
dent. He  grew  up  to  hard  toil  and  received  only  the  mere  rudiments  of 
learning.  When  he  reached  maturity  he  married  Tabitha  Cumi  Akers,  who 
was  born  January  iS,  1799,  and  who  passed  to  her  rest  September  15,  1879, 
having  lived  four  score  years. 

Their  family  consisted  of  the  following  children:  Eight  reached  ma- 
turity ;  Anderson,  who  is  mentioned  in  the  sketch  of  O.  L.  Jones :  Woodford 
spent  his  life  in  Putnam  county,  but  died  in  Montgomery  county:  Millie  mar- 
ried Nelson  Wood;  Cvnthia  married  Allen  Cox;  Permelia  married  Franklin 


288  weik's  history  of 

* 

Harrah;  Cvrena.  who  married  Robert  Brothers,  is  the  only  survivor; 
Clarissa  married  Americus  Young;  Franklin  died  when  a  young  man:  Lu- 
cinda  married  Thomas  Slavens.  Isaiah  Vermillion  became  a  well  known 
minister  in  the  Predestinarian  Baptist  church.  He  devoted  his  life  prin- 
cipally to  farming  and  was  fairly  successful,  being  a  hard  worker.  He  was  a 
man  whose  word  was  never  discredited  and  whose  deeds  were  always  in  ac- 
cordance with  right  living  and  right  thinking. 


RASER  BITTLES. 


Raser  Bittles  was  born  near  Water  ford,  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania, 
Octol)er  6,  1857.  He  is  the  scion  of  an  e.xcellent  ancestry,  many  representa- 
tives of  which  figured  more  or  less  conspicuously  in  public  and  business  life  in 
the  Emerald  Isle.  His  father,  Thomas  Bittles,  was  born  in  the  county  of 
Armagh,  near  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  there  grew  to  maturity  and  was  educated. 
He  joined  the  tide  of  emigration  setting  in  strongly  for  the  United  States  in 
1850.  and  selected  as  his  location  Water  ford.  Pennsylvania.  He  devoted  his 
life  to  agricultural  pursuits  in  that  vicinity,  establishing  a  good  home  there, 
winning  the  honor  and  confidence  of  all  his  neighbors,  and  spent  the  remain- 
ing years  of  his  life  very  comfortably,  passing  to  his  eternal  rest  in  1898.  at 
the  advancetl  age  of  eighty-three  years,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  1815.  He 
was  of  strong  religious  convictions.  ha\ing  been  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  Thomas  Bittles  married  Jane  !\Iatchett.  a  native  of  county 
Armagh.  Ireland,  where  she  grew  to  maturit\-  and  where  they  were  married. 
This  union  resulted  in  the  birth  of  seven  children,  namely:  Mrs.  Maggie  Rey- 
nolds, of  Springboro,  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  John  Wesley 
also  lives;  Robert  James  is  deceased;  Raser.  of  this  sketch:  Addie  Jane  Brown 
lives  in  Carbondale.  Illinois:  William  Charles  lives  in  Westfield.  Xew  "^"ork : 
Andrew  Bell  is  a  resident  of  Oil  City.  Pennsylvania.  The  latter  was  adopted 
bv  an  aunt  and  now  bears  the  name  of  Gordon. 

The  mother  of  the  children  just  enumerated  passed  to  her  rest  on  April 
4.  1863.  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven  years.  The  father  re-married,  his  second 
wife  being  Airs.  Eliza  Taylor,  of  Waterford.  Pennsylvania,  and  this  union 
resulted  in  the  birth  (if  three  children.  Allen  J.,  of  Meadville.  Pennsylvania: 
Emmett.  of  .\lbion.  Pennsylvania:  Elizal)eth.  of  Girard.  Penn.sylvania.  The 
mother  of  these  children  is  living  at  Um'on  City,  that  state. 

Raser  Bittles  lived  at  Waterford.  Pennsylvania,  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age.      He  recei\ed  his  schf)oling  in  the  public  scho(5ls  there.  recei\ing 


PCTXA.M    COUXTY,    IXDIAXA.  289 

a  very  serviceable  education,  which  has  later  in  lite  been  greatly  supiilemented 
bv  miscellaneous  reading  and  contact  with  the  business  world.  He  began  life 
b\-  farming,  and  after  four  years  at  hard  work  in  the  fields  he  began  working 
in  a  factory  as  a  common  laborer,  w  hich  he  continued  for  two  years  or  until 
he  had  learned  the  mechanical  part  of  the  work;  this  was  in  the  handle  factory 
of  A.  L.  Clark  &  Son,  in  which  factory  he  worked  as  a  mechanic  for  a  period 
of  fourteen  years,  thoroughly  mastering  the  business  in  the  meantime.  In 
rSo5  'i>^  went  in  business  for  himself,  having  come  west  to  Putnam  county, 
Indiana,  establishing  the  Roachdale  Handle  Company,  which  he  conducted 
there  for  a  period  of  eight  years,  building  up  a  very  e.xtensive  patronage,  so 
that  he  sought  a  larger  field  and  better  shipping  facilities,  moving  to  Green- 
castle  in  1903.  Here  he  carries  on  his  business  under  the  individual  name. 
R.  Bittles.  having  purchased  the  balance  of  the  stock  owned  by  A.  J.  Brake. 
His  business  has  continued  to  grow  until  it  has  reached  remote  parts  of  the 
country,  his  factory  being  e(juipped  with  all  modem  appliances  where  twenty 
skilled  workmen  are  constantK'  employed,  making  D  handles  for  sho\els  and 
spades.  Onlv  higli  class  work  is  turned  out  and  the  best  of  material  used,  and 
the  result  of  this  conscientious,  straight for\vard  and  honest  manner  of  con- 
ducting his  business  has  been  the  large  rewards  that  always  come  as  the  sequel 
to- rightly  applied  energy.  Mr.  Bittles  is  a  self-made  man  and  is  deserving 
of  the  large  success  that  has  attended  his  efforts. 

The  chapter  bearing  on  the  domestic  life  of  Raser  Bittles  dates  from 
October  31.  1S83,  when  he  married  Susie  M.  Hollingshead,  the  representati\'e 
of  an  honored  and  influential  family  of  Dunkirk.  Indiana,  the  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Prudence  f  Peck")  Hollingshead,  the  father  a  native  of  Delaware 
county.  Indiana,  and  the  mother  of  Blackford  county,  this  state.  Air.  Hollings- 
heail  was  a  farmer  ami  lived  in  Delaware  county  until  his  death  in  January, 
[Sjj,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-three  years,  having  been  born  in  1839.  He  was 
a  !\Iason ;  his  parents  came  tr(3m  Greene  coimty.  Ohio,  reaching  Indiana  about 
1836.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Bittles  was  born  Februarv-  27,  1842.  and  her  par- 
ents came  from  Ohio  in  1838.  Three  children  were  born  to  yir.  and  Airs. 
Hollingshead,  one  dying  in  infancy;  James  H.  lives  in  Ft.  Smith.  Arkansas, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  handles. 

Fi\e  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bittles,  named  as  follows : 
Alta.  born  September  10.  1884;  Frank,  born  Februarv-  20.  1887;  Claire,  bom 
Augtist  5,  iS()2:  ?^rary,  born  May  14.  1895:  James,  born  October  6,  1897. 
They  are  all  li\ing  at  home  at  this  writing.  Alta  graduated  from  DePauw 
University  in  iqnj.  and  Frank  is  a  senior  in  that  institution,  and  graduates 
fi9) 


290  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

with  the  class  of  1910.  Claire  is  a  freshman  in  DePauw.  Mary  and  James 
are  in  the  graded  schools. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bittles  and  their  three  oldest  children  are  members  of  the 
College  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mrs.  Bittle.s  is  an  active  wOrKer 
in  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  of  this  congregation. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Bittles  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  Temple  Lodge.  Xo.  47, 
having  joined  this  fraternity  in  1881.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Greencastle 
Chapter.  Xo.  22.  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  Greencastle  Commandery.  X'o.  11, 
Knights  Templar.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican  and  he  has  long  taken  more 
or  less  interest  in  public  affairs.  At  the  present  time  is  is  a  member  of  the 
citv  council  of  Greencastle. 

Mr.  Bittles  has  a  fine  home  on  Eash  Washington  street,  which  is  known 
to  a  large  circle  of  friends  as  a  place  where  genuine  hospitality  and  good  cheer 
es'er  prevail. 


EVERETT  AI.  HCRST.  M.  D. 

Among  the  successful  and  well  known  physicians  of  Putnam  county  is 
Dr.  Everett  M.  Hurst,  of  Cloverdale,  who  is  enjoying  a  splendid  reputation 
and  a  large  clientele  because  of  the  ability  he  has  displayed  in  the  treatment 
of  disease  and  also  because  of  his  high  personal  character.  He  is  a  repre- 
sentative citizen  of  the  community  and  is  well  entitled  to  specific  mention  in  a 
work  of  this  character.  A  complete  genealogical  record  of  the  Hurst  family 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume  and  mention  will  only  be  made  here  of  the 
Doctor's  immediate  ancestors.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  Jefferson  Hurst, 
who  was  born  in  Marion  township.  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  Alarch  28,  1824, 
the  son  of  William  and  Fanny  Hurst,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia.  The 
family  came  to  Putnam  county  in  1823.  being  among  the  first  settlers  in  the 
county.  They  located  at  Deer  creek.  Marion  township,  where  the  father 
entered  several  tracts  of  government  land.  He  at  once  cleared  a  small  space 
and  erected  a  log  cabin,  putting  in  a  small  crop  of  corn  the  first  year.  He  died 
in  1850,  widely  known  and  highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat  and  in  religion  he  was  a  member  of  the  Primitive  Baptist 
church.  He  was  known  far  and  wide  as  a  peacemaker  and  was  frequently 
called  upon  to  settle  neightorhood  disputes. 

Jefferson  Hurst  was  reared  to  manhood  under  the  parental  roof,  receiving 
a  somewhat  limited  education  in  the  common  schools.  He  had  a  large  ex- 
perience in  pioneer  life,  and  it  is  said  attended  log  rollings  for  two  weeks 
at  a  time.     On  December  24,  1S44.  he  married  Elsie  Vowel,  and  they  became 


PUTNAM    COUXTV.    INDIAXA. 


291 


the  parents  of  eight  children.  Martin  C.  WiHiam.  Levi.  Squire  J..  James  H 
George  W'..  Benjamin  F.  and  Mar}-  ]..  the  wife  of  Daniel  V.  Moffett.  Mrs. 
Elsie  Hurst  died  on  Xovember  2.  1879.  and  on  September  i.  1881.  Air  Hurst 
married  Alary  E.  Tilley.  of  O^-en  county,  to  winch  union  were  born  two  chil- 
dren. Joseph  B.  and  Flossie  M.  Mr.  Hurst  settled  upon  his  farm  in  section  36 
Greencastle  township,  about  186..  ownmg  about  six  hundred  acres  of  lan,l 
wh.ch  was  considered  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  cotmty.  He  was  a  n,embe; 
ot  the  Prnuitive  Baptist  church,  of  which  he  was  clerk 

Anril"^''  rf ''";  '"''"'■■  ^^ '"""'  ^""^-  ""^  ^^"  '"  Greencastle  township, 
comn^on  schools.  He  remamed  at  home  until  his  marriage  on  Februarx-  ; 
Inestock  wh.ch  occupation  he  followed  until  1S80.  when  he  engaged  in  the 
at  that  po  nt.   Durmg  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life  he  was  retired  from  active 

«as  hr.t  established  as  a  branch  store,  but  eventuallv  became  a  prosperous 
busmess.    H,s  death  occurred  on  January  9,  1909.     To'  his  union  w.th  Mlrtl^ 

Afrs    nTr  tT",       '"1°"^  ""•  ^^"""  ''•  '"  "''^J^^^^  '^™P"  '^f  ^'-  -sketch. 

A  i  e  Y    AH        "^     '      f  •  '^'""-  ""'  °"  ^''''''  -'•  ^^'^'^-  -^^^-  H-st  married 
Alice  A.  .Albm.  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  township.  October  -    i8;7    the 

ss;  d::^:::^^'""""  ^  ■^'""-  ^'^  ^-'^-^^-^  ---  --  ^^^  ^ugh^r^o^ 

Everett  M.  Hurst  was  born  October  26.  1874.  at  the  Hurst  homestead  m 
the  northern  part  of  Warren  township,  this  countv.  At  the  age  of  ei-xhteen 
months  he  was  orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  mother  and  he  was  t!,en^aken 
by  his  paternal  grandparents,  with  whom  he  lived  until  he  was  nine  years  old 
when  he  returned  to  the  home  of  his  father,  the  latter  having  again  married' 
Everett  Hurst  attended  the  common  schools  at  Alt.  Aleridian  and  later 
the  high  school  at  Greencastle.  where  he  was  graduated  in  1894.  Durinc.  the 
two  following  winters  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  Alarion  township 
Having  determined  to  make  the  practice  of  medicine  his  life  work,  he  entered 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  the  medical  department  of  the 
University  of  Illinois,  of  Chicago.  He  remained  there  four  vears.  graduat- 
mg  on  April  18.  1900.  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Aledicine.  Dunno-  his 
educational  years  the  Doctor  had  assisted  during  the  summers  with  the  work 
ot  his  father's  farm  and  during  two  summers  he  was  employed  as  a  salesman 
m  the  buggy  and  implement  business  of  his  lincle,  James  Hurst,  at  Green- 
castle. In  his  youth  he  had  to  some  extent  engaged  in  the  business  of  buv- 
mg  and  selling  livestock,  in  which  he  w.is  successful  to  an  unusual  decree 


292  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

possessing  a  remarkable  faculty  for  gauging  the  weight  of  an  animal  by  a 
glance,  he  acquiring  a  widespread  reputation  on  this  account. 

On  January  4,  1900,  Doctor  Hurst  located  at  Cloverdale  and  entered  upon 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he  has  met  with  a  gratifying 
measure  of  success,  having  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  patronage  among  the 
best  people  in  the  community.  He  keeps  in  close  touch  with  the  latest  ad- 
vances made  in  the  healing  art  and  has  successfully  handled  many  e.xtremely 
difficult  cases.  The  Doctor  has  erected  in  Cloverdale  a  beautiful  and  attrac- 
tive residence,  one  of  the  finest  in  the  town. and  the  spirit  of  hospitality  is  ever 
in  evidence,  the  Doctor  and  his  wife  being  numbered  among  the  best  social 
circles  of  the  town. 

Politically  Doctor  Hurst  is  a  Democrat,  and  takes  an  intelligent  interest 
in  public  affairs,  though  he  has  never  sought  public  ofiice  of  any  nature. 
Fraternallv  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America.    He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 

In  September,  1900.  Doctor  Hurst  married  Eliza  ]\I.  Herod,  the  daughter 
of  Johnson  C.  Herod,  of  Greencastle,  who  served  as  county  assessor  for  ten 
years.  They  became  the  parents  of  a  son,  Olney  Eugene,  but  he  was  taken 
by  death  at  the  age  of  sixteen  months.  Doctor  Hurst  is  a  man  of  broad  sym- 
pathies and  kindly  disposition  and  is  well  liked  by  all  who  know  him.  He 
takes  a  live  interest  in  everj-thing  tending  to  benefit  the  community  in  anv 
wav,  and  is  thoroughly  reliable  in  every  department  of  activity  in  which  he 
engages. 

Doctor  Hurst  has  business  interests  aside  from  his  profession,  owning  a 
splendid  farm  in  Jeffers<in  township,  and  also  an  interest  in  the  general  store 
at  Putnamville. 


ISAAC  S.  SINCLAIR. 


The  importance  that  attaches  to  the  lives,  character  and  work  of  the 
early  settlers  of  that  part  of  Indiana  of  which  Putnam  county  is  a  part  and 
the  influence  they  have  exerted  upon  the  cause  of  humanity  and  civilization 
is  one  of  the  most  absorbing  themes  that  can  possibly  attract  the  attention  of 
the  local  chronicler  or  historian.  If  great  and  beneficent  results — results  that 
endure  and  bless  mankind — are  the  proper  measure  of  the  good  men  do,  then 
who  is  there  in  the  w^orld's  histor}'  that  may  take  their  places  above  the  hardy 
pioneer.  To  point  out  the  way,  to  make  possible  our  present  advancing  civiliza- 
tion, is  to  be  the  truly  great  benefactors  of  mankind  for  all  time.  This  was  the 
great  work  accomplished  by  the  early  settlers  and  it  is  granted  by  all  that  they 


PCTXAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  293 

builded  wiser  than  they  knew.  Among  the  sturdy  old  pioneers  whose  efforts 
counted  for  much  in  the  early  development  of  this  part  of  Indiana,  mention 
should  be  made  of  Isaac  Sinclair,  who  occupied  a  position  of  prominence 
in  the  community  where  he  lived.  He  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Virginia, 
where  he  was  reared  and  educated.  Subseciuently  he  emigrated  to  Kentucky 
and  in  about  1822  he  came  to  Indiana,  locating  in  the  northern  part  of  Owen 
county.  He  had  married  Anna  Patterson  and  they  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  William.  John  P.,  Isaac  P.,  Samuel  S.,  Cynthia,  Morris, 
Ann  and  Eliza.  These  children  all  came  with  their  parents  to  their  new  home 
in  the  Hoosier  state  and  here  grew  to  honorable  manhood  and  womanhood. 
The  family  located  three  miles  north  of  where  Cloverdale  now  is,  but  several 
years  later  located  in  Owen  county.  The  father  afterwards  returned  again 
to  Putnam  county  and  spent  his  latter  days  with  his  son  Samuel.  His  death 
occurred  about  1852.  his  widow  surviving  until  near  the  close  of  the  Civil  war. 
Isaac  Sinclair  was  one  of  the  grand  old  men  of  his  day,  his  life  being  char- 
acterized by  an  integrity  of  purpose  and  a  consistency  of  conduct  that  won  for 
him  the  unbounded  confidence  of  all  who  knew  him. 

Of  the  children  of  Isaac  and  Anna  Sinclair,  brief  mention  is  made  as 
follows  : 

William,  during  the  late  twenties  and  early  thirties,  owned  land  three 
miles  south  of  Cloverdale,  but  eventually  he  mo\-ed  to  Kentucky  and  did  not 
again  return  to  Indiana. 

John  P.  married  Sarah  Martin  before  he  came  to  Indiana.  He  became  a 
minister  of  the  ilethodist  Episcopal  church,  and  was  numbered  among  the 
early  "circuit  riders."  He  first  lived  a  mile  west  of  Cloverdale.  but  later  lo- 
cated three  miles  south  of  that  place,  where  he  cleared  land  and  made  a  good 
home.  About  1850  he  went  to  Greencastle  and  afterwards  made  several  other 
changes  in  location,  eventually  locating  about  a  mile  north  of  Putnamville. 
About  1854  he  engaged  in  running  a  sawmill  at  Cloverdale.  He  returned 
to  the  old  home  south  of  Cloverdale.  but  his  last  days  were  spent  near 
Putnamville,  where  his  death  occurred.  He  was  survived  by  three  sons  and 
si.x  daughters,  namely:  Strange  \\'..  Isaac  L..  John  T..  Serelda.  Xancy. 
Mary,  Lucinda,  America  Ann  and  Elizabeth. 

Isaac  P.  Sinclair,  Jr.,  lived  just  west  of  Cloverdale  in  his  young  manhood. 
He  married  America  L.  Martin,  of  Kentucky,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Martin, 
who  came  from  that  state  to  Indiana  with  Isaac  Sinclair,  Sr..  and  entered 
land  north  of  Cloverdale.  He  afterwards  located  near  Cloverdale.  but  a  few- 
years  later  mo\-ed  o\-er  into  Owen  county.  Later  in  life  he  bought  a  farm 
three  miles  south  of  Cloverdale,  where  his  death  occurred.  From  his  home 
west  of  Clo\erdale  Isaac  Sinclair.  Jr..  moved  to  0^ven  county,  but  two  or  three 


294  WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 

years  later  he  returned  to  the  southern  part  of  Putnam  county,  where  he  built 
a  large  and  attractive  brick  residence  about  1840.  In  1848  he  moved  to 
Greencastle,  which  was  his  home  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was 
engaged  in  the  management  of  a  warehouse  there  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  had  also  laid  out  an  addition  to  the  city  of  Greencastle  and  had  erected  sev- 
eral houses.  He  died  on  October  25,  1854,  and  was  survived  many  years  by 
his  widow,  whose  death  occurred  in  1878.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
sons  and  four  daughters,  namely:  John  P..  Thomas  Martin.  Lee  W..  Isaac 
S.,  Minerva,  Martha  Ann,  Elizabeth  and  Eliza  J.  Of  these  children.  John  P. 
lived  on  the  home  farm  until  1848,  receiving  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Greencastle.  He  married  Rebecca  A.  Hardin.  He  spent  most 
of  his  life  in  Putnam  county,  removing  in  1875  to  Iowa,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred. Thomas  Martin  died  at  the  age  of  about  se\"enteen  years.  Lee  W. 
spent  his  early  years  in  Greencastle.  looking  after  the  \varehouse  for  his 
father,  and  was  also  engaged  in  the  wool  business.  He  married  Eliza  Brandt 
and  went  to  Salem.  Indiana.  Later  he  went  to  South  Chicago,  where  he 
operated  a  woollen  mill,  and  then  went  to  West  Baden,  Indiana,  where  he  is 
now  engaged  in  running  the  West  Newton  Springs  Hotel.  His  first  wife  died 
in  1873  ^^'^  h^  subsequently  married  Caddie  Percise. 

Isaac  Simpson  Sinclair,  son  of  Isaac  P..  Jr..  was  boi:n  in  1840  on  the 
farm  in  the  southern  part  of  Cloverdale  township,  where  he  remained  until 
eight  years  of  age.  after  which  the  family  made  several  moves,  though  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  was  spent  on  the  farm,  occupying  the  brick  residence 
built  by  his  father.  About  1895  he  moved  to  Cloverdale  and  engaged  in  the 
hay  business,  and  in  1900  he  moved  to  his  present  home,  a  fourth  of  a  mile 
west  of  Cloverdale,  where  he  operates  a  good  farm.  The  familv  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  Christ  at  Cloverdale.  Isaac  S.  Sinclair  married,  in  1862, 
Minerva  Piercy.  daughter  of  Jacob  Piercy.  Jr.  The  latter's  father.  lacnb 
Pierc\'.  Sr..  came  from  Kentucky  to  Indiana  in  about  1822  and  bought  land  a 
mile  north  of  Cloverdale.  Jacob.  Jr..  married  Rosanna  Hedrick  and  thev  had 
five  children,  of  whom  three  died  in  childhood,  the  two  sur\-iv<5rs  being  Mrs. 
Sinclair  and  Mary  Jane,  who  became  the  wife  of  William  H.  Truesdale.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaac  S.  Sinclair  were  born  six  children.  Albert  P..  Alfred 
Lee.  Charles  S..  Luella.  Mary  Winnie  and  Curtis  C.  Of  these.  Marv  Minnie 
died  at  the  age  of  two  months.  Curtis  C.  at  the  age  of  ten  vears  and  Alfred 
Lee  at  the  age  of  t\\ent_\'-two  years.  Luella.  \\ho  is  now  at  home  with  her 
])arents.  formerly  taught  .-^cliool,  ha\ing  attended  the  normal  school  at  Green- 
castle. Minerva,  daughter  of  Isaac  P.  Sinclair,  became  the  wife  of  Alfred 
Glazehook  and  during  her  later  life  lived  at  Rensselaer.  Indiana.  Martha  Ann 
became  the  wife  of  James  McKenzie  and  spent  most  of  her  married  life  in 


PLTXAM     COUXTY,    INDIANA.  295 

Cumberland  county.  Illinois,  where  her  death  occurred.  Elizabeth  became  the 
wife  of  Richard  Lennon  and  lived  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  Eliza  I.  married 
Hiram  T.  Crawley,  and  they  formerly  lived  on  a  farm  in  Putnam  countv, 
later  nKn-insa^  to  Greencastle.  and  then  to  Indianapolis,  where  thev  now   reside. 


HARRY  M.  S^HTH. 


Examples  that  impress  force  of  character  on  all  who  stutly  them  are 
worthy  of  record.  By  a  few  general  observations  may  l;e  conveyed  some  idea 
of  the  high  standing  of  Harry  M.  Smith  as  a  business  man  and  public  bene- 
factor, or.  an  editor  of  unusual  felicity  of  expression,  ha\-ing  niatle  the 
(ireencastle  Biuiucr.  of  which  he  is  proprietor,  one  of  the  brightest  and  most 
influential  papers  in  this  section  of  the  Hoosier  state.  United  in  his  compo- 
sition are  so  many  elements  of  a  solid  and  practical  nature,  which  during  a 
series  of  3'ears  have  brought  him  into  prominent  notice,  and  earned  for  him  a 
conspicuous  ])lace  among  the  enterprising  men  of  the  county  of  his  residence, 
that  it  is  but  just  recognition  of  his  worth  to  speak  at  some  length  of  his 
achie\ements,  although  the  record  of  such  a  life  as  herein  set  forth  is  neces- 
sarily an  abridgement. 

AFr.  Smith  is  desceniled  from  an  old  and  well  established  Indiana  fam- 
ily, members  of  which  have  been  known  for  their  sterling  qualities  tlin^ugh 
se\'eral  generations — from  the  trx'ing  period  which  historians  are  pleased 
to  allude  to  as  "the  early  days"  down  to  the  opulent  present.  His  birth  oc- 
curred at  Thorntown,  Indiana.  November  25,  [86j.  His  boyhood  days  were 
spent  under  his  parental  rooftree  much  like  those  of  other  lads  of  his 
age  and  generation  and  was  without  incident,  .\fter  an  education  in  the 
public  and  high  school  he  turned  his  attentii^n  to  the  printing  and  newspaper 
business,  and  finding  the  same  to  his  liking,  has  continued  his  labors  in  this 
particidar  field  of  endeavor  to  the  present  time,  or  for  a  period  of  over  thirty 
years,  gaining  well-merited  success.  He  learned  the  printer's  trade  in  Dan- 
ville. Indiana,  in  the  otfice  of  the  Danville  U>iioii.  at  the  time  comlucted  bv 
his  father,  and  worked  at  the  trade  while  finishing  his  education. 

Tlie  subject  is  the  son  of  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  O.  H.  Smith,  mentioned  else- 
where in  this  work,  and  a  member  of  a  famil\-  oi  five  chiUlren.  Though  hav- 
ing resided  at  earlier  periods  in  his  life  in  other  cities,  he  has  for  a  quarter 
oi  .1  century  been  a  citizen  of  Greencastle  and  has  always  been  loval  to  the 
city's  interests.  He  was  a  pronounced  advocate  of  a  new  court  house  for  the 
ctjunty  and  has  alwa\s  been  in  the  aihance  in  urging  improvements  for  the 


296  weik's  history  of 

city  an<l  county,  and  his  labors  in  behalf  of  the  general  interests  of  the 
people  have  been  fully  appreciated  and  recognized. 

After  employment  on  the  Republican  papers  of  the  county  at  diverse 
times,  he  purchased  the  Greencastle  Banner  in  1898  and  has  been  sole  pro- 
prietor of  the  same  since  that  time,  having  so  ably  managed  the  same  as  to 
greatly  increase  its  prestige,  its  influence  in  molding  public  opinion,  its  value 
as  an  advertising  medium  and  its  brightness  in  mechanical  appearance.  The 
Bajiiicr  is  one  of  the  oldest  papers  in  the  state  and  it  has  always  stood  in  the 
front  ranks  of  the  Republican  party,  fighting  for  its  principles  and  has  been 
a  potent  factor  in  local  political  issues. 

On  January  18,  1888,  Air.  Smith  married  Anna  Allen,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  D.  Allen,  and  they  reside  at  No.  122  East  Walnut  street  in 
Greencastle.  The  Allen  family  has  long  been  a  highly  honored  one  in  Put- 
nam county. 

Fraternally  Air.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  he  takes  considerable  interest 
in  both  lodges,  and  is  one  of  the  prominent  boosters  for  the  best  interests 
of  Greencastle  in  every  way,  both  through  his  paper  and  as  a  private  citizen. 


CHARLES  W.  LAXDES. 

There  is  no  positi\'e  rule  for  achie\'ing  success,  and  }-et  in  the  life  of  the 
successful  man.  like  that  of  the  late  Charles  W.  Landes.  long  a  well  known 
druggist  of  Greencastle.  there  are  always  lessons  which  might  be  followed. 
The  men  who  gains  prosperity  is  he  who  can  see  and  utilize  the  opportunities 
that  lie  in  his  path,  the  essential  conditions  of  human  life  being  ever  the  same, 
the  surroundings  of  individuals  differing  but  slightly:  and  when  one  man 
passes  another  on  the  highway  of  life  to  reach  the  goal  of  prosperity  before 
others  who  perhaps  started  out  before  him,  it  is  because  he  has  the  power  to 
use  advantages  which  properly  encompass  the  whole  human  race,  and  the  best 
wav  to  measure  the  true  worth  of  a  man  is  in  his  intluence  upon  others.  In 
both  this  and  the  achievement  of  success  Air.  Landes  nnist  be  recorded  as  one 
of  Putnam  countv's  foremost  citizens  of  the  past  generation,  as  all  who  knew 
him  well  can  attest. 

Charles  \V.  Landes  was  bom  in  this  county  on  Januan,-  13.  185 1.  the 
descendant  of  a  prominent  and  influential  ancestry,  one  of  Putnam's  oldest 
pioneer  families,  the  first  representatixes  of  which  located  here  in  an  early 
dav.  having  made  the  long  imirnev  from  Virginia  in  old-fashioned  covered 


CHAKLES  W.   LANDES 


PUTNAM    COL'NTY,    IXDIAXA.  297 

wagons.  They  were  John  and  Henry  Landes.  the  latter  the  father  of  Charles 
W.  and  for  many  years  a  successful  and  prominent  business  man,  having  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  wagons  in  Greencastle,  being  a  very  skilled  work- 
man so  that  the  products  of  his  shop  were  eagerly  sought  for.  In  April, 
1S49.  he  married  Elvira  Ree\es,  which  union  resulted  in  the  birth  of  four 
children,  namely:  Charles  \V.,  of  this  biographical  memoir;  James  died  in 
infancy;  Sarah  Olive  died  when  eighteen  years  of  age;  Frank  L.  died  in  De- 
cember. 1903. 

Charles  W  .  Landes  received  an  excellent  education,  having  attended  the 
public  schools  and  graduating  in  1872  in  Asbury  (now  DePauw)  University, 
with  proper  honors.  He  had  long  desired  to  devote  his  life  to  the  profession 
of  pharmacy  and  soon  after  leaving  school  he  accordingly,  in  1S73,  entered 
the  drug  business,  the  fimi  being  known  as  Phemister  &  Landes.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  continued  the  business  with 
gratifying  success,  building  up  a  constantly  growing  and  lucrative  patronage 
Avith  the  city  and  surrounding  county  until  his  death,  February  17,  1899.  In 
all  his  business  relations  with  his  fellow  men  he  is  remembered  as  being  gener- 
ous and  fair,  thereby  winning  and  retaining  the  confidence  and  good  will  of 
all.  Mr.  Landes.  as  was  his  father,  was  a  stockholder  in  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Greencastle.  Mr.  Landes  was  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  left  an 
estate  of  approximately  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  He  was  a  prominent  mem- 
ber from  early  manhood  of  the  College  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
being  on  the  official  board  for  more  than  twenty-four  years. 

Mr.  Landes  was  married  on  October  17,  1877,  to  Lilly  Frances  Root,  a 
lady  of  refinement  and  such  pleasing  address  as  to  gain  for  her  hosts  of 
friends  wherever  she  is  known.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Lucius  I.  Root, 
long  a  prominent  Presbyterian  minister  in  Greencastle.  He  was  a  native  of 
the  state  of  Xew  York  and  a  graduate  of  L'nion  College  of  Schenectady,  New 
\ork,  also  of  the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary.  He  was  always  regarded 
as  an  eloquent  and  earnest  exponent  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Nazarene  and  ac- 
complished a  great  work  in  winning  souls  to  his  Master  and  in  building  up 
strong  churches.  Frances  R.  Taft  was  the  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Landes' 
mother.  She  w  as  a  native  of  Williamstown,  Massachusetts,  and  she  is  a  rela- 
ti\e  of  President  Taft.  he  being  of  this  same  family  tree.  Peter  Taft.  the 
great-grandfather  of  Mrs.  Landes.  was  an  officer  in  the  patriot  army  during 
the  Re\"olutionary  war. 

Two  children  graced  the  pleasant  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  W. 
Landes.  bearing  these  names.  Nellie,  bom  January  24.  1879.  was  called  to 
the  unseen  world  on  March  27.  1904:  Hallie  was  born  in  February,  1880. 
They  both  recei\  erl  excellent  educations,  graduating  from  DePauw  L'ni\-ersitv. 


29S  weik's  history  of 

The  latter  is  at  this  writing  state  secretary  for  the  Michigan  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association,  and  is  prominent  and  beconn'ng  w  idely  known  in  this 
laudable  line  of  work. 

Xo  more  prominent  or  highly  honored  famih'  than  the  Landes  is  to  be 
found  in  Putnam  county,  and  Charles  W.  was  a  worthy  representative  of  this 
influential  and  esteemed  name,  and  his  influence  in  the  business  and  social  life 
nf  Greencastle  was  far-reaching  and  such  as  to  merit  the  rewards  he  won. 


DAVID  ROBERT  .MAZR. 

An  enumeration  of  those  men  of  the  present  geueratitm  who  ha\e  won 
honor  and  public  recognition  for  themsehes.  and  at  the  same  time  have 
honored  the  locality  to  which  they  belong,  would  be  incomplete  were  there 
failure  to  make  mention  of  the  one  whose  name  forms  the  caption  to  this 
sketch.  Prominent  in  local  political  circles,  successful  in  business  affairs, 
and  keenly  alive  to  the  best  interests  of  the  community,  he  enjoys  to  a  marked 
degree  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  entire  community  and  is  numl^iered 
among  the  representative  men  of  the  county. 

David  R  Maze  is  a  native  son  of  the  Hoosier  state,  having  been  born 
near  Cataract  Falls,  Owen  county,  on  June  18.  1849.  ^^  is  a  son  of  Robert 
and  ^lahala  (Campbell)  Maze.  The  father  was  born  near  Crab  Orchard, 
Kentucky,  in  1804.  and  at  the  age  of  five  years  was  taken  by  his  parents  to 
near  Hamilton,  Ohio,  and  later  to  Shelljy  county.  Indiana.  In  1846  he  mo\ed 
t(j  Owen  c<juntv  and  located  in  Jennings  township,  ncit  far  from  the  Putnam 
county  line.  He  married  Mahala  Campbell,  daughter  of  Jijlm  Caaipbell. 
She  was  born  in  Ohio  and  came  with  her  parents  first  to  Union  county, 
Indiana,  thence  to  Edinburg,  Johnson  county,  where  her  parents  died.  Her 
marriage  to  Mr.  Maze  occurred  before  their  removal  to  Owen  county. 

David  R.  Maze  remained  on  the  paternal  estate  in  Owen  county  until 
he  had  attained  his  majority.  He  then  started  out  in  life  on  his  own  account, 
going  into  the  sawmill  business,  which  was  his  chief  occupation  until  [905, 
being-  occupied  either  in  running  the  mill  or  bu}'ing  timber,  in  Ix^th  nf  which 
he  I)ecame  an  expert.  He  commenced  his  active  operations  at  Santa  Fe.  Owen 
township,  but  in  1871  he  moved  the  mill  to  the  eastern  part  of  Cloverdale 
township  and  then  sold  it.  He  then  came  to  Cloverdale  and  ])ecame  head 
sawyer  in  a  mill  owned  by  Howard  Hart.  He  afterwards  I^ouglit  this  mill 
and  operated  it  fi\-e  \-ears.  He  then  sold  the  mill,  but  continued  to  work  in 
it  as  head  sawyer,  which  positi<in  he  held  until   1905.     In  the  pre\ious  year 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  299 

he  had  been  elected  sheriff  of  Putnam  county  anti  he  now  appHed  himself 
exclusively  to  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  this  office.  In  1906  he  was 
re-elected  to  succeed  himself,  thus  holding  the  office  four  years  in  all.  He  made 
a  splendid  official  and  retired  from  the  office  with  the  good  will  and  approval 
of  everyone.  In  July.  1909.  Mr.  Maze  went  into  the  grain  and  feed  busi- 
ness in  Cloverdale.  in  which  line  he  is  still  engageil.  He  is  a  hustling  busi- 
ness man  and  is  meeting  with  a  gratifying  degree  of  success  in  his  new 
venture. 

Politically.  Mr.  Maze  is  a  Democrat,  having  voted  the  tickets  of  this 
party  consistently  since  becoming  a  voter.  In  1890  he  was  elected  trustee  of 
Cloverdale  township  for  a  four-year  term,  which,  by  legislative  enactment, 
was  e.xtended  a  year,  giving  a  five-year  tenure.  He  rendered  efficient  service 
in  this  office  and  gained  additional  prestige  thereby.  As  above  stated,  he 
afterwards  served  two  terms  as  sheriff,  aside  from  which  offices  he  has  never 
been  before  the  people  as  a  candidate.  He  stands  high  in  the  councils  of  the 
party  and  takes  a  leading  part  in  local  campaigns.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he  became  a  mem- 
ber December  31,  1873.  ^^  Cloverdale.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  encamp- 
ment oi  Patriarchs  ]\filitant  at  Greencastle,  being,  with  one  exception,  the 
senior  in  length  of  membership  at  Cloverdale. 

On  June  i.  1881.  Mr.  Maze  married  Nannie  Sinclair,  the  daughter  of 
Rev.  Strange  \\'hite  and  Hannah  |  rirnham  )  Sinclair.  Rev.  Strange  Sinclair 
was  born  December  9,  1829.  on  Raccoon  creek,  near  Greencastle.  and  was  a 
son  of  Rev.  J.  P.  Sinclair,  a  Methodist  minister  who  came  \rom  Kentuckv 
in  an  early  day.  The  latter  was  numbered  among  the  pioneer  ministers  of 
the  gospel  and  "rode  the  circuit"  for  man}-  years.  In  later  life  he  settleil 
down  to  farming  and  trading,  owning  about  a  section  of  land  three  miles 
south  of  Cloverdale.  as  well  as  .several  other  tracts  of  land  between  Green- 
castle and  Owen  county.  He  lived  several  years  at  Greencastle  and  died  on 
his  farm  near  Putnamville  in  1879.  ^^'^  ^'^"-  Rev.  Strange  \Miite  Sinclair, 
was  a  graduate  of  oM  .\sbury  (now  DePauw)  University  and,  following  in 
his  father's  footsteps,  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Pie  was  also  a  school  teacher,  having  taught  for  about  forty  years  in  Putnam 
and  Owen  counties,  or  until  he  was  past  sixty  years  of  age.  Hannah  Sinclair 
was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Hannah  (  McElroy)  Graham,  natives  of  near 
Cork,  Ireland,  and  of  Scotch-Irish  antecedents.  They  were  Presbvterians  in 
religious  belief,  having  descended  from  the  old  Scotch  Covenanters.  .\t  the 
age  of  seventeen  years  Mrs.  ^[aze  began  teaching  school  and  has  been  thus 
engaged  for  nearly  nineteen  years,  the  greater  part  of  the  time  in  Putnam 
county.     Ti)  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maze  have  been  born  three  daughters.  Xota  Dell. 


300 


WEIK  S    HISTORY    OF 


Coralie  Graham  and  Pearl  White.  The  first-named  became  the  wife  of  Lee 
O.  Cofifman.  son  of  James  Coffman,  by  whom  she  has  three  children,  Marjorie 
Lee,  Virginia  Jeane  and  James  Robert.  The  mother  of  these  children  com- 
pleted her  education  at  the  State  University  and  taught  school  two  terms. 
Coralie  became  the  wife  of  Charles  Gilbert  Shaw,  a  photographer  at  Linton, 
Greene  county,  Indiana,  and  they  have  two  children,  Charlotte  ]VLaze  and 
Analie  Frances.  Mrs.  Shaw  is  a  graduate  of  DePauw  University  and  her 
husband  is  a  graduate  of  the  MclNIinnville  School  of  Photography  at  McMinn- 
ville,  Tennessee,  and  later  was  instructor  in  this  institution.  Pearl  White 
Maze,  who  also  is  a  graduate  of  DePauw  University,  is  now  teaching  her 
second  term  as  English  teacher  in  the  high  school  at  Linton.  The  sAject 
and  his  family  are  all  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  to  which 
they  give  an  earnest  and  liberal  support. 

Mrs.  Maze  is  an  accomplished  painter  of  china,  as  well  as  in  water 
colors,  her  work  being  greatly  admired  by  all  who  see  it.  Competent  judges 
pronounce  some  of  her  work  the  equal  of  any  now  on  exhibition,  possessing 
a  rare  beautv  of  form  and  tone. 


DOUGLAS  HUFFMAN. 

Among  the  numerous  Kentuckians  who  cast  their  lot  with  Indiana  during 
the  formative  period  of  the  state  was  Edmond  Huffman,  a  man  of  sterling 
qualities  and  exemplary  character,  who  became  one  of  the  most  influential 
men  of  his  community.  He  was  born  August  i6.  1824,  and  was  about  nine 
years  old  when  brought  to  Putnam  county  from  the  old  homestead  in  Nelson 
county.  Kentucky,  by  his  parents,  Peter  and  Cynthia  Hufifman.  The  family 
was  of  German  descent  and,  being  seasoned  by  the  early  colonial  struggles 
and  the  dark  days  on  the  border,  their  descendants  were  of  the  material  to 
make  hardy  pioneers  of  new  states.  When  this  family  came  here,  Indiana 
was  still  decidedly  crude,  giving  little  promise  of  the  great  commonwealth 
familiar  to  those  living  in  the  twentieth  century.  Edmond  went  through  all 
the  privations  and  vicissitudes  incident  to  pioneer  days.  There  was  plenty 
of  hard  work  and  not  much  play;  the  state,  however,  was  filled  with  fine 
game,  the  hunting  of  which  had  much  to  do  in  training  the  youth  to  out-door 
sports  from  which  they  deriveil  strength  and  health  to  meet  the  inevitable 
hardships  incident  to  clearing  the  land,  opening  roads,  building  cabins,  burn- 
ing logs  cut  from  the  seemingly  inexhaustible  forests  and  doing  all  the  other 
thinss  essential  to  the  making  oi  a  state  from  the  raw  material. 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3OI 

Edmonil  Huffman  settleil  in  section  iS,  Washington  township,  in  1836. 
On  April  5,  1849,  ^^  married  Louisa  Ann  Rightsell,  who  was  born  August 
9,  1830.  tlie  daughter  of  George  and  Alargaret  Rightsell.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen.  Edmond  Huffman  started  out  to  do  for  himself,  worked  six  months 
for  .William  Alexander,  near  Gosport,  Indiana,  at  five  dollars  a  month,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  ga\-e  all  his  wages,  thirty  dollars,  to  his  father,  who 
soon  afterwards  made  him  a  present  of  a  colt  worth  fifteen  dollars.  It  is 
said  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  Edmond  Huftman  could  neither  read  nor 
write,  but  by  the  aid  of  his  good  wife  he  soon  acquired  both  and  finally  be- 
came well  informed  on  the  current  topics  of  tlie  day,  and  from  a  very  humble 
beginning  he  worked  hard  and  managed  well,  success  attending  his  efforts, 
until  at  one  time  he  was  the  owner  of  eighteen  hundred  acres  of  valuable 
land,  and  while  he  was  laying  by  an  ample  competence  for  his  old  age  and 
his  family  he  did  not  lose  sight  of  his  duty  to  his  neighbors,  but  did  his  full 
part  in  the  development  of  the  county.  Being  an  ardent  Democrat,  he  took 
a  prominent  part  in  the  struggles  incident  to  the  old  days  of  Whigs  and 
Democrats.  He  was  strictly  a  self-made  man  and  altogether  was  a  fine  tvpe 
of  the  men  who  made  Indiana.  He  was  a  believer  in  the  predestinarian  Bap- 
tist doctrine.  On  his  farm  in  Washington  township  was  held  the  first  court 
seen  in  Putnam  county.  The  death  of  this  highly  honored  and  public-spirited 
citizen,  successful  farmer,  kind  and  generous  neighbor  and  indulgent  father, 
occurred  on  September  7,  1900,  soon  followed  to  the  mystic  land  by  his  faith- 
ful life  companion,  ]Mrs.  Huffman  passing  away  on  December  14th  of  the 
same  year. 

Mr.  and  !\Irs.  Pluffman  were  the  parents  of  tweh'e  children,  eight  of 
whom  suiwive.  namely:  James  Roberts,  born  Jamiary  J5.  1850;  Maria  E., 
born  October  6,  1851;  Cephas,  born  January  28,  1853,  died  February  20, 
1853;  John  A.,  born  January  10.  1855;  Douglas,  of  this  review,  was  fifth  in 
order  of  birth;  Ivan,  born  July  31.  1S59;  Daniel  Vorhees.  born  March  22, 
1864:  Lucretia  A.,  Ixirn  IMay  13,  i8(')3:  General  Jackson,  born  September  6, 
18^18:  Margaret,  born  March  20.   1870;  Greeley  R..  born  June  2_-^.  1872. 

Douglas  Huft'man  was  born  May  10.  1857,  and  grew  up  to  be  a  worthy 
son  of  a  worthy  sire,  assisting  him  in  the  farm  work  during  his  boyhood 
and  youth,  meantime  obtaining  a  fair  education  in  the  local  schools.  He  was 
diligent  in  his  studies,  went  through  the  common  schools  to  graduation  and 
afterwards  was  engaged  in  teaching  for  two  years  in  Washington  township. 
After  his  experience  in  the  school  room  he  embarked  in  merchandising  at 
Reelsville.  and  for  a  perioil  of  twenty-two  years  conducted  a  general  store 
at  that  place.  He  built  up  an  extensive  trade  and  was  ven-  successful.  In 
1900  he  retired  to  lonk  after  his   farms,   being  the  owner  of  two  excellent 


WEIK  S    HISTORY  OF 


places,  one  of  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres  in  Washington  townsliip,  and 
one  of  two  hundred  and  ninety-three  acres  in  Owen  county.  He  utihzes 
these  tracts  to  carry  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  not  branching  out 
into  fancy  farming,  but  contenting  himself  with  raising  the  staple  cereal  crops 
and  feeding  all  the  livestock  the  land  will  fairly  support.  His  land  is  well 
tilled  and  under  modern  improvements.  ^Ir.  Huffman  makes  his  residence  in 
a  fine,  attractive  home  in  one  of  the  best  residence  sections  of  Greencastle. 
where  the  nianv  friends  of  the  family  are  delightfully  entertained.  The  pre- 
siding spirit  of  the  home  is  a  lady  of  refined  tastes  and  amiable  disposition, 
known  in  her  maidenhood  as  Mollie  Baumunk,  whom  he  married  on  April  20, 
18S4:  she  was  born  and  reared  in  Putnam  county,  where  her  people  were  al- 
ways well  respected.  This  union  has  resulted  in  the  birth  of  three  children. 
Of  these.  Murrav  and  Morris  E.  died  in  infancy;  Merle  C.  born  in  1896.  is 
attending  high  school. 

Mr.  Huffman's  fraternal  associations  are  with  the  Masons  and  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Greencastle  Lodge,  No.  473,  of  that  order.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Lodo-e  Xo.  1077,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  Green- 
castle. 

Mr.  Huffman  occupies  a  conspicuous  place  among  the  representative 
citizens  of  Putnam  county  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  who 
know  him.  His  record  demonstrates  that  where  there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way 
and  that  obstacles  to  success  may  be  overcome  by  courage  and  self-reliance. 
His  career,  though  strenuous,  has  been  fraught  with  good  to  his  fellow  men 
and  his  example  is  cordiallv  commended  to  the  youth  of  the  land  wdiose  life 
work  is  vet  a  matter  of  the  future. 


JOSEPH  WILLARD  CRO-MWELL. 

Among  the  modern  agriculturists  of  Putnam  county  is  Joseph  Willard 
Cromwell,  who  is  the  owner  of  a  splendidly  improved  farm  in  Warren  town- 
ship. He  is  a  native  of  Clav  county,  Indiana,  where  his  birth  occurred  April  6, 
i860,  the  son  of  John  O.  and  Diana  E.  (Barnettj  Cromwell,  the  latter  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Rachael  (Ellis)  Barnett  and  was  born  April  2,  1832. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnett  were  pioneer  settlers,  coming  to  this  county  in  1827; 
the  father  died  in  .Vugust.  1875,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  and  the 
mother  in  the  same  year,  being  seventy-five  years  old.  John  0.  Cromwell  was 
the  son  of  Nicholas  D.  and  Amelia  (Marshall)  Cromwell,  descendants  of  the 


PUTNAM    COUXTY.    INDIANA.  3O3 

noteil  Cromwell  of  England.  They  first  settled  in  Maryland,  thence  going  to 
Kentucky  and  then  to  Indiana.  Nicholas  was  the  first  sheriff,  also  the  first 
treasurer  of  Clay  county  and  was  jndge  of  the  circuit  court  for  a  period  of  se\-- 
enteen  years.  He  was  born  in  1771.  and  died  in  1848.  at  Bowling  Green,  Clay 
county.  Indiana.  John  O.  Cromwell  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  followed  this 
line  of  work  all  his  life,  dealing  extensively  in  livestock;  for  two  years  he 
engaged  in  the  retail  merchandise  business.  Politically  he  was  a  Democrat 
and  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  twelve  years  and  was  trastee  of  his 
township  for  four  years,  and  he  was  a  notary  public — in  short,  a  very  useful 
man  in  his  cummunity.  where  he  was  honored  by  all  who  knew  him.  During 
the  Civil  war  he  sent  a  substitute,  for  which  he  paid  eight  hundred  and  fift}- 
dollars.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  resident  of  Pleasant  Garden, 
^\'ashingto^  township,  dying  April  7,  1902,  His  wife  died  October  16,  190^. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Charles  X.  married  Allie 
Browning,  now  deceased:  two  children  were  born  to  them,  Tunis  and  Claude; 
his  second  wife  was  Minnie  Anderson,  also  deceased;  he  married  a  third  time, 
]Mrs.  Maud  Pounds,  John  E.  Cromwell  married  Kate  Brock  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  three  children.  ]\Iable.  Pearl  and  Grace.  Grandal  T.  married 
Laura  .\kers  and  resides  in  Terre  Haute;  Curtis  Clay  is  deceased;  Rella.  who 
remained  single,  is  an  evangelist;  Josephine  married  George  McKinlev  and 
they  have  three  children.  Helen  (deceased).  Jesse  and  Margaret;  DeW'itt  P. 
married  Lillie  Shadwick.  reside  in  Indianapolis  and  are  the  parents  of  two 
children.  DeW'itt,  Jr.,  and  Helen;  Florence,  who  married  Charles  Lee.  is  a 
widow ;  Rella  and  Josie  were  teachers  for  some  time  in  the  public  schools  of 
Putnam  county  and  Clay  counties.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cromwell  have  fifteen 
grandchildren  living  and  two  dead. 

Joseph  W.  Cromwell,  of  this  review,  remained  at  home  with  his  parents 
until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  V'andalia  Rail- 
road Company,  in  the  employ  of  which  he  has  remained  continuouslv  for  a 
period  of  thirty-four  years,  being  employed  as  steam  shovel  engineer  most 
of  the  time  and  he  has  always  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  trusted  of  the 
company's  employes.  February  i.  1885,  he  was  married  to  Laura  B.  Hepler. 
born  August  16.  1864,  the  daughter  of  John  D.  and  Elettita  (Leonard) 
Hepler.  her  parents  having  been  among  the  old  settlers  of  Putnam  countv, 
spending  their  lives  on  a  farm  here.  y[r.  Hepler  was  a  native  of  Putnam 
county  and  he  became  the  owner  of  a  large  tract  of  land  near  Putnamville, 
where  he  still  lives,  having  sold  much  of  the  land  he  formerly  owned.  He  has 
reached  an  advanced  age.    Daniel  Hepler.  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Cromwell,  was 


304 


WEIK  S   HISTORY  OF 


a  native  of  Xorth  Carolina,  and  was  an  early  settler  in  Putnam  county.     He 
married  Gadsy  Heath. 

A  few  years  after  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  W.  Cromwell 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  adjoining  that  of  Mrs.  Cromwell's  father  and  here 
they  have  continued  to  make  their  home.  In  the  spring  of  1910  they  moved 
into  a  new,  modern  and  beautiful  home  which  they  erected  beside  their  old 
home.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  living;  they 
are.  Vita  B.,  born  October  20,  1885;  John  W.,  born  January  21,  1890;  Eulah 
D.,  born  No\ember  25,  1S94;  Oliver,  born  October  30,  1900;  Mary  E.,  born 
October  i,  1902;  Fred  B.,  born  ^larch  23,  1887,  died  April  2d  following; 
Isabella,  born  December  22,  1895,  died  young.  The  oldest  child,  Vita  B.,  was 
married  August  12,  1908,  to  Charles  Klotz,  and  they  reside  in  Indianapolis. 


JASPER  N.   MILLER. 

Amono-  the  well  known  and  popular  citizens  of  Putnam  county  is  he 
whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  sketch  and  who  is  very  satisfactorily 
fiUino-  the  office  of  county  treasurer,  his  labors  among  his  fellowmen  in  Put- 
nam countv  having  made  him  a  much  liked  public  character,  being  known 
as  a  man  of  keen  perceptive  faculties,  unusual  soundness  of  judginent  and 
upright  in  all  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  countrymen,  until  today  his  name 
stands  high  on  the  scroll  of  honored  residents  of  this  locality.  Being  descend- 
ants of  worthy  ancestors  who  figured  conspicuously  in  the  early  development 
of  this  countv,  hence  being  history  makers,  the  Miller  family  is  gladly  ac- 
corded proper  recognition  in  this  work. 

Jasper  X.  JMiller  was  bom  in  Franklin  township.  Putnam  county,  Decem- 
ber iS,  1S53,  the  son  of  James  T.  and  Mary  (Brown)  Miller.  The  former 
was  born  October  28.  1S30,  in  this  county,  the  son  of  one  of  the  early  pioneers 
here,  havino-  entered  three  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Franklin 
township,  the  faniilv  having  come  here  from  'Sit.  Sterling.  Kentucky,  in  1829, 
and  amid  the  wilderness  began  developing  a  new  home,  and  in  due  course  of 
time  became  well  established. 

The  parents  of  Jasper  X.  ^Tiller  were  married  on  X'ovember  30.  1850. 
'SltiTY  Brown,  who  was  born  February  16,  1831,  was  the  daughter  of  Jonathan 
and  Eliza  (Camp)  Brown,  both  of  whom  came  from  Tennessee  at  an  early 
date.  ha\ing  been  prominent  pioneer  citizens.  This  couple  grew  up  to  honest 
toil  in  a  new  countrv.  where  they  received  only  a  meager  schooling  in  the 


JASPER   N.   MILLER 


PUTNAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3O5 

old-time  schools  of  the  early  days.  Five  children  were  born  to  them,  named 
as  follows:  Jason  Riley,  bom  September  2,  1859;  Jasper  Newton,  of  this  re- 
view; Eliza  Vorhees,  born  September  10,  i860;  Sylvia  Alice,  born  September 
10,  i860,  and  died  February  9,  1888;  Serilda  Jane,  born  December  20.  1856, 
and  died  January  i,  1874. 

James  F.  Miller,  father  of  these  children,  devoted  his  life  exclusively  to 
farming,  at  which  he  was  very  successful,  being  a  man  who  was  never  afraid 
of  hard  work,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  assist  in  clearing  and 
cultivating  the  old  homestead  in  F'ranklin  township  when  he  was  but  a  mere 
boy.  He  is  a  man  of  the  very  highest  integrity  and  honor,  a  Democrat  but 
not  a  public  man.  He  still  li\'es  in  Monroe  township  with  his  wife  where  he 
is  highly  esteemed  by  all  his  neighbors  and  friends.  He  removed  from  Frank- 
lin township  to  Monroe  township  in  1872. 

Jasper  X.  Miller,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review,  received  his  early 
schooling  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  township,  and  later  in  life  he 
greatly  augmented  his  early  training  by  close  application  to  the  study  of 
general  topics  at  home  and  by  contact  with  the  world  in  general.  He  early 
began  farming  and  has  followed  that  vocation  practically  all  his  life,  in  con- 
nection with  which  he  has  sold  wind-mills  and  pumps,  being  considered  an 
authority  on  wind-mills,  representing  the  Zimmerman  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany of  Auburn.  Indiana,  in  a  very  satisfactory  manner.  He  also  followed 
the  well-drilling  business  for  some  time,  but  up  to  1S72  his  attention  was  given 
exclusively  to  assisting  his  father  on  the  home  farm.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  rented  land,  buying  sixty  acres  in  1876.  He  has  prospered  by  reason  of 
his  close  application  to  his  business  affairs  and  the  exercise  of  splendid  judg- 
ment and  principles  that  cannot  help  but  lead  to  gratifying  results  when  they 
are  rightlv  applied  as  they  have  evidently  been  done  in  his  case,  for  he  is  now 
the  owner  of  one  of  the  choice  farms  of  Putnam  county,  consisting  of  two 
hundred  and  thirteen  acres,  on  which  he  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock 
raising,  always  handling  some  very  fine  specimens  of  livestock,  for  which  he 
finds  a  readv  market.  He  has  a  very  comfortable  and  well  located  dwelling 
and  such  outbuildings  and  modern  farming  machineiy  as  his  needs  require. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  on  April  29,  1872,  to  Sophia  A.  James,  born 
August  I.  1853,  daughter  of  David  and  Mary  Ann  (Howard)  James,  an  old 
and  highly  honored  pioneer  family  of  Putnam  county.  David  James  was 
born  near  Natural  Bridge.  Kentucky,  and  came  to  Putnam  county  when  six 
years  old.  ]\rar>-  Ann  James  came  from  Tennessee.  This  union  has  resulted 
in  the  birth  of  three  children,  named  as  follows:  Viola  Mae.  who  was  born 
on  September  9.  1S75.  married  E.  R.  Denny,  a  farmer  of  Monroe  township. 
(20) 


3o6  weik's  history  of 

this  countv;  Rav  K..  bom  February  6,  1885,  married  Anna  McFadden,  living 
on  the  parental  farm ;  Mary  C,  born  November  3,  1889,  is  assisting  her  father 
in  the  county  treasurer's  office. 

Mr.  Miller  has  always  been  deeply  interested  in  the  affairs  of  Putnam 
countv  and  has  stood  ready  at  all  times  to  forward  any  worthy  movement 
looking  to  the  betterment  of  the  same,  ever  loyal  to  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  as  a  reward  for  his  interest  in  public  affairs,  his  sterl- 
ing honesty  and  his  genuine  worth  he  was  selected  by  his  party  for  the  office 
of  county  treasurer,  being  nominated  at  his  first  effort  for  the  office.  During 
his  campaign  he  never  went  into  a  saloon,  and  his  total  expense  was  not  over 
one  hundred  dollars.  He  was  elected  on  November  3,  1909,  taking  office  in 
January,  1910,  and  he  is  very  satisfactorily  discharging  the  duties  of  the  same, 
his  election  being  a  criterion  of  his  popularity  in  the  county,  his  majority 
being  four  hundred  forty-five.  On  January  7,  1910,  he  was  honored  by 
being  renominated  for  the  office. 

Fraternallv  ]Mr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
Lodge  No.  75,  at  Bainbridge,  Indiana.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Honor.  The  Miller  family  holds  membership  in  the  Christian 
church. 

Personallv  Mr.  Miller  is  a  man  whom  ever\-body  likes,  being  courteous, 
a  o-ood  mixer,  honest  and  conscientious  in  his  service  to  his  fellow  men  in 
every  capacity. 


WILLIAM  WOODSON  HODGE. 

One  of  Putnam  county's  substantial  farmers  and  gallant  veterans  is 
William  Woodson  Hodge,  who  was  born  within  her  borders,  February  10, 
1845,  and  whose  life  has  been  spent  principally  in  Warren  township,  where 
his  well-kept  farm  is  to  be  found.  He  is  the  son  of  George  W.  and  Gabrella 
Courtnev  (Williamson)  Hodge,  natives  of  Kentucky,  the  former  born  Octo- 
ber 16,  1 819,  and  the  latter  January  29,  1826.  The  father  was  six  years 
old  when  his  parents.  Drew  and  Sarah  Hodge,  came  to  Putnam  county  in 
1826  and  built  a  log  cabin  on  an  eighty-acre  tract  which  they  entered  from 
the  government,  on  which  Mr.  Hodge  lived  until  his  death  in  1S40,  his  widow 
surviving  until  1868.  They  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  they  are  buried  at  the  Walnut  church  grave-yard.  To  them  eight  children 
were  born :  Russell,  Alexander,  ]\Ieshak,  Shelton,  George  W.,  Laura,  Sina 
and  Margaret.     Thev  are  all  deceased.     George  W.  Hodge,  father  of  William 


PUTXAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3O7 

\\'..  of  this  review,  spent  his  boyhood  assisting  with  the  work  on  the  home 
farm  and  recei\-ed  the  advantages  of  such  scliools  of  his  day  as  were  afforded 
by  the  log  school  house,  with  its  open  fire-place  and  with  slabs  for  seats. 

In  1842  George  W.  Hodge  married  Gabrella  Courtney  Williamson  and 
began  his  married  life  on  his  parents'  farm,  which  he  heired.  He  sold  this 
place  and  for  several  years  lived  on  several  different  tracts,  which  he  bought 
and  sold  in  turn,  finally  purchasing  seventy  acres  in  section  i,  Washington 
township,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  there,  dying  March  21,  1865, 
his  widow  surviving  until  1898.  He  devoted  his  life  to  farming,  and  he  was 
assessor  of  his  township  for  one  term.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  a  Greeley  Abolitionist  in  politics.  He  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely:  Mrs. 
Matilda  Bryant,  of  Lawrence  county.  Indiana;  Mrs.  Laura  Corwin  is  living 
in  the  state  of  Idaho;  Mrs.  Susan  Jackson,  of  Missouri;  Mrs.  Julia  Ford,  of 
Kansas;  Charles  W.,  of  Idaho;  Mrs.  Mary  Taylor,  of  Idaho;  Ellen  and  Mar- 
garet Frances  are  deceased;  William  W.,  of  this  review. 

\\'iniam  W.  Hodge  remained  with  his  parents  on  the  home  farm,  receiv- 
ing a  common  school  education,  gained  mostly  in  subscription  schools.  In 
1863,  when  only  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-third  Regiment  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
through  many  trying  campaigns  and  hard-fought  battles  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  among  which  was  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  battle  of  Nashville,  battle  of 
Franklin,  battle  of  Wise  Forks,  North  Carolina,  and  he  was  present  at  the 
surrender  of  Johnston.  He  was  honorably  discharged  August  25,  1865. 
returning  to  his  home  and  managing  the  parental  acres  for  two  years  there- 
after, his  father  having  died  while  he  was  in  the  service. 

On  March  26,  1868,  Mr.  Hodge  was  married  to  Lucy  A.  Sellers,  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Nancy  Sellers,  of  Warren  township,  where  Mr.  Sellers  car- 
ried on  farming,  ;\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Hodge  went  to  live  with  the  former's  mother 
on  the  home  farm.  Later  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  section 
17,  Warren  township,  paying  one  thousand  dollars  in  cash  and  going  in  debt 
for  the  balance.  His  mother  moved  onto  this  farm  and  he  remained  on  the 
home  place,  though  for  several  years  they  farmed  the  two  places  in  partner- 
ship. When,  in  1880,  his  mother  moved  back  to  her  old  home,  he  moved  to 
his  own  farm  and  has  made  it  his  home  ever  since,  having  fully  paid  the  debt 
long  ago.  He  has  been  very  successful  as  a  general  farmer  and  especially  as 
an  horticulturist,  having  a  fine  orchard  of  forty  acres,  planted  in  an  excellent 
variety  of  choice  trees.  He  is  an  authority  on  peach  growing  and  no  small 
part    of    his    income    is    derived    from    his    orchard.      He    also    finds    time 


3o8  weik's  history  of 

to  raise  stock  of  a  very-  good  quality  which  always  finds  a  ready  mar- 
ket.— in  fact  he  usually  commands  fancy  prices  owing  to  the  high  grade  of  his 
stock.  But  it  is  principally  as  a  fruit  grower  that  he  is  widely  known,  not 
only  throughout  Putnam  county,  but  also  over  the  state,  being  considered  an 
authority  in  horticulture.  He  has  taken  an  interest  in  political  affairs  and  for 
two  years  was  trustee  of  his  township. 

Mrs.  Hodge  died  January  i,  1879,  and  Mr.  Hodge  then  married  Emran 
Mercer,  daughter  of  Eli  and  Lucy  Mercer,  of  Washington  township,  her 
father  having  been  one  of  the  old  farmers  of  Putnam  county  and  a  highly 
respected  citizen.  Mr.  Hodge's  first  marriage  resulted  in  the  birth  of  six 
children,  namely :  Carrie,  James.  Dora,  Frankie,  Lucy  and  William ;  the  last 
two  named  being  twins.  Two  children  were  born  of  the  second  union,  Minnie 
and  Mont  ray. 

Carrie  B.  Hodge  was  born  August  i,  1869,  married  Frank  A.  Pearcy, 
a  carpenter,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Harold,  now  five  years  of 
age.  James  W.  Hodge  was  born  September  10,  1871,  has  remained  single,  and 
he  is  a  graduate  of  the  State  Normal,  also  of  DePauw  University,  and  he  is 
now  superintendent  of  the  schools  at  Aberdeen,  Washington,  having  followed 
teaching.  Dora  B.  Hodge,  who  was  born  September  5,  1873,  married  George 
Pearcv,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  George  E.,  now  four  years  old. 
Charles  F.  Hodge,  who  was  born  April  13,  1876,  died  September  21,  1877; 
William  W.  Hodge,  Jr.,  born  January  i,  1879,  died  July  6th  following. 
Lucy  A.,  born  January  i,  1879,  died  February  18,  1880;  Minnie  was  born 
August  10,  1881,  married  W.  O.  Lewis,  of  Warren  township,  and  they  have 
two  children.  Aubrey  and  Bernice;  Alontray  was  born  February  24,  1885, 
died  August  6,  1887. 


WILLL\M  YATES  LEWIS. 

To  spend  a  few  hours  with  William  Yates  Lewis,  a  venerable  and  highly 
honored  citizen  of  Warren  township,  listening  to  his  interesting  reminiscences 
of  the  olden  times  in  Putnam  county,  one  could  not  well  be  better  entertained, 
for  his  long,  useful  and,  in  some  respects,  eventful  career  has  been  spent  in 
his  native  locality,  which  he  has  seen  advance  from  the  wild  woods  to  the 
modern  twentieth-centur}-  civilization,  and  he  has  taken  no  small  part  in  this 
work  of  transformation,  having  been  a  hard  worker  all  his  life  and  deeply 
interested  in  the  growth  of  his  community  in  all  lines,  being  ready  whenever 
occasion  presented  itself  to  do  his  full  share  of  the  work  to  be  done  here. 


PCTXAM    COUNTY,    INDIANA.  3O9 

Mr.  Lewis  is  a  nati\"e  of  Monroe  township,  born  Febrnarv'  19,  1S32,  the 
son  of  Israel  Gregg  and  Xancy  Susan  Jane  Lewis,  the  father  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky and  the  mother  of  Virginia.  They  came  to  Putnam  county,  Indiana, 
as  early  as  1826.  locating  one-half  mile  east  of  Brick  Chapel,  Monroe  town- 
ship, buying  there  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  at  five  dollars  per 
acre,  which,  in  those  days,  was  a  high  price ;  however,  the  place  had  some  im- 
provements, including  a  log  house,  which  Mr.  Lewis  continued  to  occupy 
for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years,  making  various  additions  to  the  same. 
He  finally  sold  this  place  and  purchased  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  sec- 
tion 15,  Warren  township,  upon  which  stood  a  hewn-log  house.  He  was  a 
successful  farmer  for  those  days  and  he  lived  here  until  his  death  in  1855, 
his  widow  surviving  to  a  ripe  old  age,  dying  on  February  25,  1890.  Israel  G. 
Lewis  found  time  from  his  farming  to  do  a  great  deal  of  church  work,  having 
been  a  minister  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  having  charge  of  a  circuit; 
he  also  studied  medicine  and  was  successful  as  a  practitioner  as  well  as  a 
minister,  and  in  these  ways  he  accomplished  a  great  amount  of  good  and 
became  widely  known.  In  his  day  log-rollings  were  frequent  and  it  had  long 
been  the  custom  to  have  plenty  of  whisky  at  such  events,  but  Mr.  Lewis  dis- 
carded the  jug  and  gave  his  neighbors  coffee  on  such  occasions,  which  seemed 
to  be  appreciated  and  had  a  good  effect  upon  the  morals  of  the  community. 
He  was  known  for  his  generosity  and  hospitality  in  entertainment  of  both 
friend  and  stranger.  Politically  he  was  a  Whig.  He  was  patriotic  and  vol- 
unteered during  the  war  of  181 2  and  he  was  in  the  famous  charge  at  the 
battle  of  the  Thames,  when  the  great  war  chief  and  British  general  Tecumseh 
was  killed.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
Rhoda  A.,  now  ^Irs.  Cowgill ;  James  Nathaniel,  Oscar  Thomas  Lewis,  Solo- 
mon Colmbs.  Lucy  Emarin,  now  Mrs.  Bridges;  William  Yates,  of  this  review; 
George  Ewing.  Charles  Henry,  Gabriel  Clay,  Susan  Jane,  Louisa  Elizabeth, 
now  Mrs.  Evans;  Gabriel  died  in  infancy;  Israel  died  when  five  years  of  age; 
Nancy  died  in  infancy.  Only  three  of  these  children  are  now  living,  two  sis- 
ters beside  the  subject  of  this  review.  Susan  Jane,  who  has  remained  single 
and  makes  her  home  with  A.  L.  Evans  on  the  old  homestead,  and  Louisa  E., 
the  wife  of  Arthur  E.  Evans,  of  Warren  township. 

William  Yates  Lewis  spent  his  early  life  on  the  home  farm,  attending 
school  in  the  log  houses  of  his  day,  with  their  rude  furnishings.  Such  schools 
were  conducted  on  the  subscription  plan,  and  only  the  rudiments  of  an  edu- 
cation could  be  gained  unless  the  pupil  took  the  pains  to  further  his  own  re- 
searches. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  married  on  December  30,  1865,  to  Man.-  Emily  Clear- 
water, the  daughter  of  John  and  Matilda  Clearwater,  of  Warren  township, 


3IO  WEIK  S   HISTORY  OF 

Mr.  Cleanvater  being  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  county  and  one  of  the 
builders  of  the  National  road.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Virginia. 

'Sir.  Lewis  and  his  bride  went  to  housekeeping  on  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
acres  in  section  22,  Warren  township,  and  he  has  continued  to  make  his  home 
here  to  the  present  time,  having  made  a  very  comfortable  living,  improved  a 
fine  farm  and  laid  by  an  ample  competency  for  his  old  age.  He  first  lived  in  a 
double  log  house,  and  in  1888  built  a  more  pretentious  dwelling  just  in  front 
of  the  old  house  which  he  tore  down,  leaving  the  old  rock  chimney,  twelve 
feet  in  height,  built  of  dressed  Putnam  county  stone,  and  which  is  still  in 
excellent  condition,  and  is  now  covered  with  vines.  It  is  prized  by  all  the 
family  as  a  relic  of  the  old  home.  General  farming  and  stock  raising  has 
occupied  Mr.  Lewis'  attention.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  for  two 
years  was  trustee  of  his  township;  formerly  he  was  a  Whig.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  ^lethodist  church  at  Bethel. 

Six  children  constitute  Mr.  Lewis'  family;  they  are:  Ida  Belle,  born 
November  12,  1866,  married  George  H.  Hurin,  of  Crown  Point,  Indiana, 
and  four  children  have  been  born  to  them,  ;May,  Joyce  Lewis,  Mary  Jean, 
Nellie  Rose,  Ezra  Clay  Lewis,  born  December  3.  1867,  married  Love  D. 
Wills,  and  he  has  followed  the  painter's  trade  in  this  county ;  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  six  children.  Vernie  Clare,  Bertha  Gladys,  Forest  Wills,  Ernest  Paul, 
Gertrude  M.  and  Leslie  L.  Lou  Nellie  Lewis,  born  September  6,  1870,  mar- 
ried ;M.  E.  Cooper  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four  children.  Alarion  L..  Mary 
F.,  Ruth  and  Catherine.  Charles  Ernest  Lewis,  born  ]\Iay  2.  1873,  married 
Lottie  Roberts  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  Dorothy,  Helen  L., 
John  W.  and  Edward  C. :  they  live  on  a  farm  in  this  county.  Catherine  Ger- 
trude Lewis,  born  August  14,  1875,  married  first,  Owen  T,  Wright,  then 
George  O.  Whittaker :  she  lives  on  a  farm  in  Putnam  county  and  is  the  mother 
of  two  children,  Wayne  Lewis  and  Esther  Catherine,  ^^■illiam  Otis  Lewis, 
born  November  11,  1881.  married  Minnie  Hodge:  they  live  on  a  farm  in 
this  countv,  and  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  Aubrey  G.  and  Vernice  L, 


EBENEZER  WATSON  S^IYTHE. 

Among  the  enterprising  citizens  and  prominent  and  successful  business 
men  of  Fillmore,  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  is  the  gentleman  whose  name  ap- 
pears at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  A  lifelong  resident  of  this  county,  he  has 
so  lived  as  to  merit  the  unbounded  respect  and  confidence  of  his  neighbors 


PUTXAM    COrXTV.    IXDIAXA.  3II 

and  now.  as  tlie  golden  sunset  of  Iiis  lite  draws  near,  he  is  enjoyinj;  that  rest 
which  he  has  so  richly  earned. 

Ebenezer  \V.  Smythe  was  born  February  4.  183J,  in  this  county,  and  is 
a  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  (Sill)  Smythe.  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  the  father  having  descended  from  sturdy  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestrv.  He  came  to  Putnam  countv  in  1824  and  located  on  eightv  acres 
of  land  which  he  had  purchaseil  near  Greencastle.  He  lived  on  this  land  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1861,  when  he  was  sixty-three  years  old.  His 
wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  unseen  land,  dying  in  1S56,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
two  years.  Their  remains  were  interred  in  the  family  burying  ground  on  their 
homestead  farm.  Ebenezer  Smythe  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  dur- 
ing his  active  years  and  was  numbered  among  the  active  and  influential  men 
of  his  community.  In  religious  belief  he  was  a  Presbyterian,  while  his  wife 
was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  They  became  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  four  are  now  living,  namely:  George  V.,  a  farmer  in  Green- 
castle township,  this  county;  Hannah  R.,  the  widow  of  John  Clark  Ridpath. 
the  eminent  historian,  who  for  many  years  was  one  of  the  best  known  citizens 
of  Greencastle ;  Harriet,  of  Illinois,  the  widow  of  the  late  Benjamin  Cof^een : 
Ebenezer  W..  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Ebenezer  ^^'.  Smythe  spent  his  boyhood  tlays  on  the  paternal  homestead 
and  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools.  He  was  reared  to  the  life 
of  a  farmer  and  remained  as  his  father's  assistant  until  his  marriage,  in  185S. 
at  which  time  he  located  at  Fillmore  and  engaged  in  the  contracting  business. 
Fie  was  a  careful  and  expert  workman  and  a  good  business  man  and  many 
of  the  best  buildings,  public  and  private,  in  and  about  Greencastle  were  erected 
by  him.  In  1865  ]Mr.  Smythe  removed  to  Greencastle,  continuing  his  former 
line  of  work  and  at  the  same  time  engaging  in  the  undertaking  business,  which 
line  he  followed  for  twelve  years.  He  then  moved  to  Chicago  and  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  presses,  in  which  he  met  with  gratifying  success. 
so  that  f(5ur  }-ears  later  he  retired  from  that  business  and  returned  to  his 
former  location  at  Fillmore,  where  he  erected  a  neat  and  attractive  residence, 
moflern  in  every  respect.  an<I  in  this  comfortable  home  he  is  now  living  and 
enjoying  life.  He  is  not  passing  the  time  idly,  however,  but  has  recently  super- 
intended the  erection  of  the  new  school  house  just  completed  at  Fillmore,  his 
sound  judgment  and  integrity  being  generally  recognized.  He  has  at  all  times 
taken  a  keen  and  intelligent  interest  in  current  events  and  gives  an  earnest 
support  to  all  movements  tending  to  the  advancement  of  the  best  interests  of 
the  community. 


31^ 


WEIK  S    HISTORY  OF 


On  October  31,  1858,  Mr.  Smythe  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  Oliver, 
a  daughter  of  Morris  and  Martha  OHver,  of  Marion  township,  this  county. 
Mrs.  Smythe  died  on  February  14,  1885,  and  on  October  31,  1888,  Mr.  Smythe 
married  Louisa  C.  Knight,  the  daughter  of  Lloyd  and  Katherine  Knight,  of 
Marion  township,  the  former  having  served  as  coroner  of  Putnam  county  for 
four  years. 

Mr.  Smvthe  is  the  father  of  seven  children,  all  by  his  first  marriage, 
namelv :  Clara  Belle,  who  is  unmarried  and  is  employed  as  a  saleslady  in  Allen 
Brothers  drv  goods  store  in  Greencastle ;  Jennie,  the  wife  of  Henry  Pentenoy, 
of  Chicago:  Arthur  L.,  who  married  Lola  Snyder;  Oliver  H.,  of  Chicago, 
marrierl  Kate  Callahan,  and  they  have  one  child.  Clara :  Wesley  W.  married 
Mabel  Kissinger  and  they  have  three  children.  Eban,  Grace  and  Arthur; 
Frank  R.  married  Bertha  McFrase  and  they  have  four  children,  Jean  Marie. 
Bertha.  Frank  R.  J.  and  Freda  E. ;  Harry  B.  married  Susie  B.  Kissinger  and 
they  ha\-e  three  children.  Royal,  Allen  and  Sarah  C. 

Fraternally  ^Vfr.  Smytlie  is  a  member  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Foresters,  as  well  as  the  Carpenters'  Union. 
Religiously  he  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  and  his  wife  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  . 


AMOS  EVAXS  AYLER.  :\L  D.    ^         ,'■■• 

The  family  of  this  name  is  of  English  stock  on  the  paternal  side  and 
German  on.  the  maternal.  It  is  of  ancient  origin  and  has  been  identified  with 
the  eastern  part  of  the  country  from  early  colonial  days.  The  emigrating 
ancestors  settled  on  Kent  Island.  Marydand.  on  land  granted  to  them  by  the 
King,  and  they  lived  in  that  locality  for  generations,  meantime  sending  out 
offshoots  to  various  parts  of  the  countr}-.  Among  the  descendants  of  this 
emigrant  ancestor  is  William  H.  Ayler.  a  native  of  the  eastern  shore  of  Mary- 
land and  a  master  mechanic  by  prefession.  being  now  in  the  employ  of  the 
L'nited  States  government  at  the  national  capital.  He  married  Jane  Re- 
becca Gladfelter,  whose  family  also  was  one  of  old  and  well-established  con- 
nections, dating  their  origin  in  Switzerland.  That  they  were  notable  people 
in